Liberal Chaos: Moira Deeming Expelled from Partyroom
The Victorian Liberal Partyroom has voted to expel Moira Deeming and remove Renee Heath as the Partyroom Secretary. The margin for both votes was 19-11. It was the second expulsion motion put forward against Moira Deeming in less than two months.
The first motion was put forward on March 27 by state leader John Pesutto and his leadership team as a response to Deeming attending the Let Women Speak Rally in Melbourne on March 18 which the National Socialist Network also attended. Deeming was suspended from the Liberal Partyroom for 9 months at that meeting.
The second expulsion motion against Moira Deeming was brought in response to negotiations breaking down over the terms of her 9-month suspension. Deeming sent an email to Liberal MPs last Thursday informing them she would launch a legal challenge to her suspension. Following that email last Friday the second expulsion motion was sponsored not by the leadership team but by five other Liberal MPs Roma Britnell, former opposition leader Matthew Guy, Wayne Farnham, Cindy McLeish and James Newbury.
Last Saturday Deeming in a statement denied she had ever considered suing the Liberal Party. But yesterday Deeming through her lawyer Patrick George issued Liberal leader John Pesutto a defamation concerns notice demanding he cancel today’s partyroom meeting, issue an apology to her on his website and pay her legal costs plus compensation. Deeming did not attend today’s partyroom meeting even though she was permitted to put forth a defence to the expulsion motion
In his first failed attempt to expel Moira Deeming John Pesutto prepared a dossier alleging falsely that the organiser of the Melbourne Let Women Speak Rally British activist Kallie-Jay Keen was associated with far right-wing extremist groups including neo-Nazi activists.
Moira Deeming’s expulsion from the Liberal partyroom today doesn’t end this saga started by John Pesut, the Liberal chaos will continue. Deeming still has support amongst the Victorian Liberal rank and file who preselected her in the top stop on the Liberal Western Metropolitan Region Ticket last year. So any attempt to expel Moira Deeming from the Liberal Party itself will encounter fierce resistance. She has the support of high-profile former Federal MPs Nicolle Flint and Prime Minister Tony Abbott. Other high-profile supporters and defenders of Deeming include Peta Credlin and Warren Mundine.
Expelling Deeming won’t stop the attacks by Premier Dan Andrews claiming the Liberals are transphobic misogynistic bigots. Dan Andrews attacked Deeming over her maiden speech where she said there can be a compromise reached between protecting women’s spaces and transgender rights.
Deeming will remain a member of the Legislative Council as an independent until the next state election due in November 2026.