Victorian Liberals vote to expel embattled MP
Victorian Liberal leader John Pesutto will fight any defamation action brought by Moira Deeming after the controversial MP was expelled from the parliamentary party.
In a two-hour special meeting at state parliament on Friday morning, Liberal MPs voted 19 to 11 to expel Ms Deeming for “bringing discredit” to the party.
She sparked controversy when she attended an anti-transgender rights rally where neo-Nazis performed the ‘heil Hitler’ salute.
The upper house MP was a no-show on Friday after her lawyers served Mr Pesutto a defamation concerns notice.
They warned of court action if Mr Pesutto did not immediately withdraw the expulsion motion, publish an apology on his website and pay Ms Deeming compensation and legal costs.
Mr Pesutto said he would not deign to any of the demands listed in the document.
“I’ll obviously instruct my lawyers to do what’s necessary in order to vigorously defend the action,” he told reporters.
The Liberal leader, who took over after November’s state election drubbing, has discussed how he will fund his legal defence with party officials but only confirmed publicly that taxpayers would not foot the bill.
Mr Pesutto was far from explicit on the grounds for Ms Deeming’s expulsion, arguing it was self-evident and on the public record.
But the Hawthorn MP suggested Ms Deeming’s legal threat did not sit well with members of the party room.
“What’s happened today and in recent weeks has nothing to do with whether somebody is conservative or progressive,” Mr Pesutto said amid the factional infighting.
“It is all about: are we a united, disciplined and focused team?”
He hailed Ms Deeming’s expulsion as a turning point and reaffirmed his commitment to turn the state party into an inclusive and welcoming party before the 2026 state election.
“We are going to move forward and get behind John [Pesutto] and I think it … is time for the Liberal Party to start being a viable option, a different alternative for the Victorian government,” MP Sam Groth said after the meeting at the Victorian state parliament.
“We have been talking about ourselves but hopefully this meeting today draws a line in the sand on the 12 May, that the Liberal Party is going to start listening to Victorians … and [be an] effective opposition [and] by 2026 an alternative government.”
Second head to roll
The meeting also reportedly voted to remove a key Deeming ally, Renee Heath, as party secretary.
Ms Heath was also sanctioned over her taking of minutes from party meetings. Opposition Leader John Pesutto had alleged she produced three different versions of the minutes, one of which was later leaked to the media.
Liberal frontbencher James Newbury, one of the signatories to the motion to expel Ms Deeming, said the Victorian Liberals were moving forward behind Mr Pesutto.
“You cannot sue your boss and expect to keep your job. Suing your party and leader is a gross act of betrayal,” he said after the vote.
Friday’s drama – as state MPs gathered for a special meeting to vote on a motion to expel Ms Deeming for “bringing discredit” to the parliamentary party – was the latest in a long-running saga that has divided the Victorian Liberal Party.
On Thursday morning, a day before the meeting, Ms Deeming’s lawyer served a defamation concerns notice to Mr Pesutto.
It warned Ms Deeming may initiate court proceedings if he did not immediately withdraw the motion, publish an apology to her on his website and pay her compensation and legal costs, according to The Australian.
Ms Deeming last week demanded the Victorian Liberal leader agree to issue a statement exonerating her of being a Nazi or Nazi sympathiser or face legal action.
She appeared to back down on Saturday, saying she never considered suing the Liberal Party and instead contemplated legal mediation as a way to settle on the conditions of her suspension.
Messy legal dispute
Polwarth MP Richard Riordan, an ally of Ms Deeming, wrote to Mr Pesutto earlier in the week to urge him to delay the meeting over fears the motion was technically invalid and could led to a messy legal dispute. That request was ignored.
Deputy Victorian Liberal Party leader David Southwick said it was clear which way the motion was heading.
“People want to see this put to one side,” he said on Thursday.
It will be the second time the party considered expelling Ms Deeming after she attended an anti-transgender rights rally in Melbourne where neo-Nazis performed the “heil Hitler” salute.
A compromise was struck when the first Mr Pesutto-led motion, supported by a 15-page dossier accusing the MP of protesting alongside people who were “known to be publicly associated with far right-wing extremist groups including neo-Nazi activists”, failed to garner enough support.
Ms Deeming had been banned from party room meetings under the terms of her suspension. She was allowed to attend on Friday to defend herself, although she reportedly did not take up that offer.
Friday’s decision means the upper house MP remains on the crossbench for the remainder of her term.
– with AAP
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