Liberal Senator Gary Humphries has called for calm following Wednesday's resolution to the Senate preselection feud that has divided the party for nearly two months.
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Senator Humphries has ruled out any further challenge to Zed Seselja and said it was time for party members who had been at war to "bury the hatchet" and focus on the greater task of mounting a successful federal election campaign.
Wednesday night's motion to overturn the party's February preselection results was decisively defeated 168 votes to 138.
Senate nominee Zed Seselja said in the aftermath on Thursday that it was time for the Canberra Liberals to move on, and that those who could not stand behind the party might want to reconsider their membership.
"I think it's important for the party to move on of course because the vast bulk, the vast, vast bulk of members no matter how they vote in various preselection issues are loyal Liberal Party members and they just want to see the party do well," he told ABC Radio.
"But to the extent that there are some people who are particularly problematic, I think it's important for organisations to be able to move on and not have some people constantly trying to bring them down."
Senator Humphries said on Thursday that no party members should be called upon to quit.
"I think this is the point in time where we have to come together, where we have to be working together," he said.
"I hope it's a time where people can bury hatchets and ensure that we focus not on ourselves but on the bigger picture.
"And leadership is about making sure that we are working together and that's showing a sense of focus on the big picture not the small picture."
Senator Humphries said it was clear on Wednesday night that many Canberra Liberals were concerned about the prospect of reopening party's preselection and repeating the "necessarily difficult process of selecting candidates when we were only a few months out from a federal election".
"I think that's an issue which clearly alarmed a number of party members," he said.
The Senator said he would remain on Opposition Leader Tony Abbott's front bench until the election and was yet to fully consider what lay ahead for him post-politics.
"I think only 12 hours or so after the big decisions were made last night I owe myself the chance to think about that with more care and with more time under my belt so I'll give that some further thought," he said.
"I'm extremely grateful to have done as much as I have done as a Liberal MP, to have opportunities to serve as the Chief Minister of the ACT and serve in the Senate, to be the very first person to serve as a front bencher from the ACT in a Liberal Opposition – all of those things have been tremendously valuable and I'm very grateful to the party for making that possible."
On Thursday, Tony Abbott said he was disappointed at Senator Humphries' loss after voicing his support for him in the lead-up to Wednesday's vote.
The party's former division president Gary Kent, who sponsored Wednesday's motion, said he respected the membership's decision not to push ahead with a fresh preselection.
"I'll abide by the result," he said.
"It's a democratic party but I don't take the result as being a reflection at all on my commitment or potential to contribute to the party.
"I'll remain with the party and think I've still got a lot to contribute."
