Controversial federal MP Dennis Jensen says his political future has been completely killed off by media reports that painted him as a "smut peddler" on the eve of Sunday's preselection loss.
He was trounced in the battle for the suburban West Australian seat of Tangney by former Liberal state director Ben Morton, by 57 votes to seven.
The loss came after The Australian newspaper reported racy extracts from a novel the MP penned in 2002, then claimed he had recently left his family home within the electorate to live with his new girlfriend.
While Dr Jensen admitted he made a mistake by pitching his novel to publishers using a parliamentary letterhead, the second report about his living arrangements has prompted him to take legal action, with a writ of defamation lodged in the WA Supreme Court on Monday.
The 54-year-old says he has been the victim of a smear campaign and labelled the reports deliberate sabotage.
Dr Jensen, who has held the seat for 12 years, said his marriage crumbled almost two years ago and he moved in with his new partner five months later.
The report was therefore inaccurate and timed to lose him support from Christians, painting him as a "smut peddler who has just left his wife and family home to shack up with his new girlfriend".
"No one would like that, never mind the Christian vote," he told AAP.
"Mud sticks. This has ruined any chance of me running as an independent."
His lawyer Martin Bennett said the journalist, Andrew Burrell, would "no doubt" claim privilege to protect his sources.
Dr Jensen said the contest with Mr Morton had been "on a knife edge" before the media reports and his opponents must have been worried to have fed the stories to the journalist.
The newspaper declined to comment.
The MP has courted controversy throughout his career, hitting headlines in February for using the term "noble savage" in relation to remote indigenous communities.
The Liberals have tried twice previously to remove Dr Jensen, but he was saved by former prime minister John Howard and the state council.
