The timing of Giulia Jones' resignation may raise questions among the public. She is walking away just days after her party suffered a massive federal election defeat, which will likely result in the loss of ACT Liberal senator Zed Seselja.

But Jones has been absent from the Assembly for nearly four months and her resignation shouldn't be all that shocking.

The resignation will raise a broader question though, as Jones was one of the last leading conservatives in the party room, particularly after former leader Alistair Coe has also left this Assembly term.

The Canberra Liberals party room doesn't have formalised factions but within the branches there are clear conservative wings and clear moderate wings.

This was very evident last term but with the exit of Jones, the composition of the party room will be entirely different.

In the previous term there was a clear group of conservatives including Jones, Coe, Vicki Dunne, Elizabeth Kikkert, James Milligan and Andrew Wall.

But with the resignation of Jones only two remain, and they are not the most influential in the party room.

This, coupled with the potential loss of Seselja's Senate position, would be quite a shift and could help to pave the way for significant reforms in the party.

While the views of others in the party room, including newcomers Leanne Castley and Peter Cain, are less clear cut, they don't appear to be influenced in their day-to-day political work by the conservative branches.

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Party strategists will seek to use this to their advantage, painting the Canberra Liberals as shifting more to the centre.

Former Liberal chief ministers Kate Carnell and Gary Humphries say this is desperately needed following the federal election loss.

But these reforms need to start within the branches, because while the leadership team might appear to reflect a more moderate approach, the branches do hold the power.

The expected loss of Seselja is already stirring up potential uprisings within the branches, with conflict to ensue over the direction the Canberra Liberals will take.

Many feel that the party will only have a winning chance in progressive Canberra if it steers right back to the centre.

There is no doubt moderates will be emboldened by Seselja's loss to steer that ship.

It will be interesting to observe the impact this has on the Canberra Liberals party room and whether, under the leadership of moderate Elizabeth Lee, they attempt to rebrand themselves over the coming months.

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