The Northern Territory's Country Liberal Party is dealing with what one outgoing member described as a "spate" of resignations, at a time when it may have to prove it has enough members to exist at a federal level.
The Australian Electoral Commission has confirmed a review is underway into the CLP, triggered by the resignation of sitting federal senator Sam McMahon from the CLP late last month.
The AEC review is a legal requirement due to a law that says a party must either have a sitting federal politician or be able to prove it has 1,500 paid-up members to remain registered federally.
A commission spokesperson said the AEC contacted the party after Ms McMahon's resignation was initially reported and confirmed a review is in progress.
The spokesperson said no comment would be provided while the review was underway and remained "a live matter of direct correspondence".
The party has previously declined to say how many official members are on the books.
CLP president Jamie De Brenni conceded the party recently saw a fall in membership numbers due to a number of deaths and resignations.
"Our membership always rotates, people come, people go, people leave town and they don't keep their memberships," Mr De Brenni said.
"And also, unfortunately, we've had people passing on.
"Some of our older generation [members] are passing away."
Outgoing member links some resignations to party's support of vaccine rules
The ABC has confirmed a number of recent resignations from senior levels in the party, including former party vice-president and candidate Rhianna Harker, who resigned this month, and former Darwin branch chair Eric Withnall.
Other outgoing members said some of the resignations were triggered, in part, by dissatisfaction with the party's position on vaccine mandates at the Territory level.
The CLP has said publicly it was following best health advice on mandates, but ex-members have said they believe the party has not been strong enough in speaking up in opposition to NT Labor's policies.
"That was the straw that broke the camel's back," said Thijs Bors, who had been a rank and file member for five years.
Mr Bors, who said he was triple-vaxxed and not an anti-mandate protester, said he was unhappy with how the CLP had handled the health situation.
"It's just a mess," he said.
"It's frustrating that the CLP doesn't actually call out the lack of support [to businesses], call out the failures, call out the conflicting language in the health orders or the confusion. They just blindly go with it."
Mr Bors said he does not believe the CLP has the 1,500 members required on a federal level and said he believed the party should be pushing to rally for change.
"Rebrand, modernise, engage younger votes and actually have a cause," Mr Bors said.
Mr De Brenni said he would not comment on the mandate resignations, saying: "That's people's personal choice."
Once the electoral commission asks the party to prove its current membership numbers, an AEC spokesman confirmed, the CLP will have two months to provide the list.
The timing means there is a real chance the federal election will be held before the review is done and if the CLP wins a seat back in parliament, its registered status will remain protected.
But if the review does find the party does not have enough members before the election, the CLP could be deregistered federally and CLP candidates would be listed on the ballot paper as independents.
The matter is expected to be discussed at the CLP's central council meeting this weekend.
