Moira Deeming threatens defamation action against Liberal leader John Pesutto

Liberal MP Moira Deeming has threatened to launch defamation action against John Pesutto unless he seeks to withdraw the motion to expel her from the party.

Liberal MP Moira Deeming has again threatened leader John Pesutto with legal action, less than 24 hours before she faces a vote to expel her from the party.

In a desperate bid to avoid expulsion, Mrs Deeming has threatened to launch defamation action in the Federal Court unless Mr Pesutto seeks to withdraw the motion and publicly apologise to her.

She also wants the leader to pay her compensation and legal costs.

It is understood Mr Pesutto has no intention of complying with any of the demands.

Liberal Party sources said the threat now guaranteed her expulsion from the party because members had become fed up with her antics.

The party’s 31 MPs will meet at a special partyroom meeting on Friday to vote on the motion to expel Mrs Deeming.

Senior sources said they were confident at least 22 MPs were in favour of forcing her out of the parliamentary team.

It will mean Mrs Deeming remains in parliament as an independent Liberal.

Moira Deeming and John Pesutto. Picture: Facebook

Moves to try and have her expelled from the wider Liberal party are also being considered, however it is believed she enjoys broader support.

Efforts to stall the vote failed this week despite concerns being raised that notice of the motion failed to comply with Liberal Party rules.

Mrs Deeming has twice asked for evidence to support the motion.

A spokesman for Mr Pesutto confirmed the defamation threat had been received but said it would be inappropriate to comment as the matter would likely end up in court.

Sources close to Mrs Deeming said they were confident a defamation case would succeed.

After she attended a Let Women Speak rally that was gatecrashed by neo-Nazis in March, Mr Pesutto compiled and distributed a 15-page dossier of evidence backing an initial attempt to expel Mrs Deeming.

In it, he accused her of having Nazi links and “conducting activities in a manner likely to bring discredit on the Parliament or the Parliamentary Party.”

Mrs Deeming beat an initial move to expel her from the party, successfully negotiating a 9-month suspension instead.

But she has claimed Mr Pesutto reneged on key parts of the deal, including to exonerate her of all claims that associated her with neo-Nazis.

“I have continued to try and work from within to resolve this issue,” she told colleagues.

“I have kept doing the things I’ve been asked to do, I have not criticised the leadership publicly and done my level best to support the Liberal Party.

“I am now in a position where continued silence is damaging my name and reputation, my family and my mental health.

“To any reasonable observer, my treatment as a new MP has been unfair and extreme.”

Originally published as Moira Deeming threatens defamation action against Liberal leader John Pesutto