Liberal MP David Hodgett says ‘97 per cent’ of public feedback backed Moira Deeming in spate with John Pesutto

Liberal MP David Hodgett has revealed he was inundated with messages of support for Moira Deeming when the party moved to expel her.

A Liberal MP has revealed he was inundated with about 100 messages from the public when the party released a dossier of evidence to justify the expulsion of Moira Deeming — and “97 per cent” were critical of Opposition leader John Pesutto.

David Hodgett said the release of a motion seeking to boot Mrs Deeming from the party, along with an explosive dossier of evidence against the exiled Liberal MP, had attracted vast criticism against Mr Pesutto.

Mr Hodgett on Monday was the third Liberal MP to be called into the witness box as the high-profile defamation battle between Ms Deeming and Mr Pesutto entered its second week.

Moira Deeming (right) with her barrister Sue Chrysanthou SC. Picture: Aaron Francis

Following an initial suspension, Mrs Deeming was expelled from the parliamentary Liberal Party following her appearance at a Let Women Speak rally on March 18 last year which was gatecrashed by neo-Nazis.

Mr Hodgett was questioned about the response from the public following the release of the expulsion motion and dossier on March 20, 2023.

He guessed that he had been sent about 100 messages from the public and that about “97 per cent” were critical of Mr Pesutto.

“The vast majority were critical of Mr Pesutto and a small percentage were critical of Mrs Deeming,” he said.

Former Liberal MP Ryan Smith and Liberal MP Joe McCracken also gave evidence on Monday.

MP questioned over Finn expulsion

Mr Smith was quizzed over the ousting of another Liberal Party exile, Bernie Finn, under the leadership of former Liberal leader, Matthew Guy.

Mr Pesutto’s barrister, Matthew Collins KC, asked whether Mr Guy had also “given media interviews about his proposal to move to expel Bernie Finn before the motion came before the party room?”.

Mr Smith agreed he had but added that it was “under ... different circumstances”.

Former Victorian MP Ryan Smith was called to the witness stand on Monday.

The response was followed up in cross-examination by a lawyer for Mrs Deeming who asked him to explain the difference between the two situations.

“The comments that Mr Guy made to the press came after many months of, I guess, what we termed indiscretions via social media by Mr Finn,” Mr Smith said.

“There had been a long history of posts on social media that certainly Mr Guy deemed unfit for us.”

Mr Smith said he was of the understanding that Mr Guy had spoken to Mr Finn “over a number of months”.

“To draw a comparison is difficult because ... there had been a number of discussions about Finn desisting in those, sort of, actions,” he said.

‘We knew we’d been double crossed’

A former Liberal treasurer has accused party leader John Pesutto of ‘double crossing’ colleagues and telling him behind closed doors that Moira Deeming “had organised the Nazis to attend that rally”.

Former Treasurer Kim Wells, in a fiery courtroom exchange with Mr Pesutto’s barrister, sensationally claimed that the Liberal leader had told him over the phone that Mrs Deeming had arranged for Neo-Nazis to attend the controversial ‘Let Women Speak’ rally.

Mr Wells, who was the fourth current or former Liberal MP to enter the witness box on Monday, said for 24 hours after the rally he was not aware of Mrs Deeming’s involvement.

That changed, he said, when he received a phone call from Mr Pesutto about 8pm on March 19, 2023.

“The other part, your Honour, of the conversation was that Mr Pesutto had told me that she had organised the Nazis to attend that rally,” he said.

Matthew Collins, KC, suggested that Mr Pesutto had “said nothing of that effect to you”.

But Mr Wells doubled down, calling the suggestion “incorrect”.

Former Victorian treasurer Kim Wells.

The barrister then asked whether Mr Wells had heard the opposition leader repeat that claim publicly.

“No, which is different to what he said to me on the phone on the 19th,” he said.

Dr Collins argued that the Liberal MP’s recollection was “quite flawed”.

“You’d be incorrect,” Mr Wells responded.

The longtime Liberal MP, who served as treasurer under the Baillieu government, said he had told Mrs Deeming about the accusation.

He also revealed that he had become an “adviser” to her — a role he did not disclose to Mr Pesutto.

The court was also told that Mr Wells and Mr Hodgett had acted as a “conduit” between party leadership and Mrs Deeming at a March 27 meeting, brokering a deal that would see Mrs Deeming suspended for nine months rather than expelled.

Both MPs said it was their understanding that Mr Pesutto had agreed to release a joint statement with Mrs Deeming, and that Mr Pesutto had assured her no one would label her a Nazi or a Nazi sympathiser.

Mr Wells said Mr Pesutto had told him during the meeting that Mrs Deeming would receive a “full exoneration”.

When pressed, however, he confirmed that the motion did not include that Mrs Deeming was “entitled to a full exoneration”.

He accused Mr Pesutto of telling him one thing and telling the party room another.

“We knew we’d been double crossed,” he said.

Originally published as Liberal MP David Hodgett says ‘97 per cent’ of public feedback backed Moira Deeming in spate with John Pesutto