The Victorian Liberal party will postpone making a decision on the future of first-term MP Moira Deeming while a court case is heard regarding moves to disendorse her as a candidate for the upcoming state election.
Deeming alleged that colleague Matthew Guy had grabbed her in a “headlock” at a recent Macedonian community event. Police investigated her claim but found there was no case to answer. Guy has threatened legal action for defamation if an apology is not forthcoming. Liberal leader Jess Wilson has also said she expects Deeming to make a public apology.
Through her legal team Deeming announced earlier this week that she would not be making an apology. They said she had misunderstood the term headlock and maintained that she had been assaulted by her colleague. Her refusal sparked moves to have her disendorsed as a candidate at the upcoming state election.
Today Deeming’s team launched an eleventh-hour injunction against the party and state president Brian Loughnane from holding the meeting to discuss her future. Following several hearings throughout the day the party made an undertaking “not to take any step that will render this proceeding inutile”.
“We give the undertaking not to take any steps to disendorse the plaintiff until the hearing determination of this proceeding,” Marcus Clarke KC, representing Loughnane and the party, told the court.
The matter will return to court on 17 July with a dingle day set aside to hear the matter. Justice Kerri Judd has told Deeming’s legal team, led by barrister Ganesh Jegatheesan, that she will not be considering the decision from Victorian Police.
No home for Deeming at One Nation
One Nation Pauline Hanson has revealed that Deeming was set to defect to her party earlier this year when she initially lost pre-selection for her seat. Party officials opted to bump Deeming from the 2025 election ticket, but after the chosen candidate withdrew she was reinstated to the top spot for her region.
Now in a series of interviews Hanson has said she’d turn Deeming away based on her actions in relation to the incident with Matthew Guy.
“You don’t do that to your fellow colleagues,” she told 3AW radio.
On the McKnight Tonight podcast Hanson said “I don’t want a bar of her.”
“Moira Deeming made a comment in regards to Matthew Guy… and it was proven that it was wrong. She should have apologised to him and she didn’t. That tell me the character of the person. If you’re wrong, you don’t throw your team mates under the bus.”
OUTinPerth has reached out to Moira Deeming for comment.
