Moira Deeming has been welcomed back into the Victorian Parliamentary Liberal Party, following her successful defamation action against leader John Pesutto.
After MPs voted to readmit Deeming a spill motion was moved against Pesutto, and Brad Battin was installed as the new leader with former tennis champion Sam Groth as deputy.
Deeming was initially suspended from the party room for nine months over her organisation and participation of Kellie-Jay Keen’s Let Women’s Speak rally in Melbourne in March 2023. The anti-transgender women’s right rally drew a large number of protesters, and a Neo-Nazi group appeared on the steps of the parliament adjacent to event.
After she threatened legal action against Pesutto over comment she made in the lead up to her suspension and her colleagues permanently banned her from the party room.
Deeming went through with her threat to sue Pesutto for defamation over comments he made, and after a long trial he was ordered to pay her $315,000 in damages. He is also liable for legal costs relating to the case which are expected to run into millions of dollars.
In the aftermath of the court’s decision Pesutto refused to publicly apologise to Deeming, and said he would appeal the decision.
A vote was held on allowing Deeming back into the party room but MPs in attendance were split 14-14 on the issue. Pesutto declared the issue had been resolved and it was time for the party to move on, but his leadership was clearly damaged by the loss of support.
He then acknowledged that support for Deeming was growing and called for a new vote to allow her back into the fold. Pesutto wanted to hold the vote in Mid-January but colleagues demanded a more immediate vote.
