Suspended Victorian Liberal MP Moira Deeming has issued an ultimatum to leader John Pesutto demanding he publicly declare that he does not believe that she is a Nazi sympathiser.
“If by 2pm today, we do not have an agreed upon statement that exonerates me from the charges laid against me, (as per the partyroom agreement) I will consider that the leadership have failed to honour the suspension agreement and I will be forced to challenge it officially, demand re-entry to the party room and instruct my lawyers to commence legal proceedings.” Deeming wrote in an email sent to the Victorian opposition leader this morning.
As the clock passed the deadline there was no concession coming from the opposition leader’s office.
Speaking to reporters Pesutto said Deeming was free to launch legal action if she wanted to.
“If Moira Deeming is going to take action to sue me – and effectively sue the parliamentary Liberal party and the Liberal party – I think that would be a matter for her to consider,” he said.
“She’s free to do what she wants. I’m focused on holding the Andrews government to account.”
In late March Pesutto moved to expel Deeming from the party after she spoke at the Let Women Speak rally organised by British anti-transgender campaigner Kellie-Jay Keen.
The event drew a large number of counter-protesters and was also gate-crashed by a neo-Nazi group who stood on the steps of the Victorian parliament adjacent to event. The group held up an offensive sign and made Nazi salutes at the pro-transgender rights crowd.
Deeming later condemned the presence of the neo-Nazi group but was criticised for being slow to issue a statement, given that in the hours after the event she appeared alongside Keen in a video where the organisers sipped champagne and Keen suggested the group may have been organised by the Victorian police.
At a party room meeting Deeming’s colleagues opted to suspend her from the party room for nine months.
There has been an ongoing dispute between different factions of the party with some claiming that Pesutto had agreed to issue a joint statement clarifying that there was no suggestion that Deeming’s views aligned with those of the neo-Nazi group, and that she would automatically be invitged back into the fold at the end of her suspension period.
Details of the discussion within the party room have been leaked to Sky News host Peta Credlin, leading to accusations that Liberal members are seeking to undermine Pesutto’s leadership.
It has been revealed that various versions of the minutes have been created but none have been officially signed off as a true record of the meeting.
Conservative MP Renee Heath holds the responsibility of creating the minutes, and as a ally of Deeming it’s been suggested that she might be responsible for the leak to Sky News. This has been denied by both Heath and Credlin.
Pesutto and his leadership team have been accused of bullying Heath over the issue of creating accurate minutes of the meeting. An email from Heath to the leadership team expressing her frustration has also been leaked to Sky News.
John Pesutto has denied any bullying is occuring within the party.
“I’m leading with a collaborative, inclusive and professional style,” he said.
OIP Staff
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