John Pesutto could be forced to pay legal bills himself as Moira Deeming moves to pull leader into court
The question of who foots the bill in the looming legal fight between Moira Deeming and John Pesutto has divided the Victorian Liberal Party.
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The Victorian Liberal Party is again split, this time over who will pay leader John Pesutto’s looming legal bills.
As expelled MP Moira Deeming prepares to drag the Opposition Leader into a defamation battle, party members are arguing about who should foot the bill.
Mr Pesutto on Friday said he had engaged lawyers but was unsure whether his defence would be funded privately or by the party.
One senior Liberal told the Herald Sun the Opposition Leader was privately asking the party to pay.
“It’s a bit rich for John to expect the party and therefore its members to pay his legal fees for a situation he largely created,” he said.
“John might have a better reception asking the Labor Party to pay his legal bills as the best thing for them is for this to continue to play out for as long as possible.”
Another senior Liberal said the party should pay the legal costs seeing as it had “$35 to $40m” in the bank after selling its Melbourne headquarters for $37.1m in 2019.
Victorian party president Greg Mirabella refused to answer questions about whether it would cover Mr Pesutto’s legal bills.
The Liberal leader would need approval from the party’s administrative committee, headed by Mr Mirabella.
Following the parliamentary party’s ousting of Ms Deeming on Friday, he sought to clear up talk that moves were being made behind closed doors to boot her from the party altogether.
Speculation that the party was “actively considering expelling Moira … is not correct,” Mr Mirabella wrote. “The basis and processes for suspension or expulsion of a member are spelled out in the constitution, but ultimately it would be a matter for the State Assembly, and a vote by members of that body.”
Two thirds of members would have to vote to expel Ms Deeming – a majority both Liberal sources said the party would be unable to muster.
“If he (Mr Pesutto) believes he is acting in the best interest of the membership then he should bring an expulsion motion to see whether that is really the case,” one source said. “I doubt he will.”
The other agreed such a motion was unlikely, saying: “They won’t even try”.
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