Baillieu jumped before he was pushed TED Baillieu jumped before he was pushed. Victoria's new premier Denis Napthine insists his close friend wasn't knifed in the back by Liberal colleagues and decided on his own to quit the top job. But the reality is Mr Baillieu saw the writing on the wall and moved before a move was made against him. It was controversial MP Geoff Shaw's decision to quit the Liberal Party, thereby threatening the coalition's grip on power, that proved to be the final tipping point in a horror week for the government. Mr Baillieu's leadership was under question and his government under renewed pressure amid continued political fallout from the Office of Police Integrity's investigation into the circumstances behind former police chief commissioner Simon Overland's resignation. Former premier Jeff Kennett believes the catalyst for Mr Baillieu's resignation was his handling of the secret telephone recordings featuring his chief of staff, particularly his decision to refer the matter to the anti-corruption body without going through cabinet. I mean, cabinet is a body of equals. It's not a body where one person makes these sorts of decisions. I'm sure that was the catalyst. The list of issues goes on: ill feeling among some backbenchers about the way the government leadership team dealt with them, record low voter dissatisfaction with Mr Baillieu, tough economic times, and no end in sight to the long-running pay dispute with the state's teachers, who Mr Baillieu had promised to make the best paid in Australia. Mr Shaw played his hand on Wednesday morning, moving to the crossbenches and laying the blame squarely on Mr Baillieu's leadership. Mr Baillieu was publicly indicating nothing would change, but he realised his colleagues were losing faith in his leadership. By Wednesday afternoon he was telling Dr Napthine and deputy Liberal leader Louise Asher that he believed he did not have the support of the party. There was no point trying to talk him out of it, Ms Asher says. He'd already made up his mind. Dr Napthine says Mr Baillieu put the interests of the state and the party first. Ted Baillieu looked around and said that he felt he didn't have the support he needed, and he therefore made the decision of his own volition.