Libs vote as John Pesutto releases dossier on Liberal MP Moira Deeming following anti-trans rally
Liberal MPs say the decision on whether to expel Moira Deeming is “not about Moira any more” and is a vote on whether to keep John Pesutto as leader.
Victoria
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Pressure is mounting on Opposition Leader John Pesutto, with MPs warning he needs a resounding victory in his push to expel Moira Deeming or he’ll be gone.
At a party room meeting on Tuesday MPs were told the move to expel Ms Deeming was now less about her, and more about a vote on the future of Mr Pesutto.
“We were basically told this is not about Moira any more, this is about John and about showing the rainbow community we are on their side,” one MP said.
MPs are split over the move to expel Ms Deeming over her alleged links to far-right extremists, with sources on both sides claiming they have enough numbers to win the vote.
A motion to delay the vote indefinitely was comprehensively beaten on Tuesday, with those backing the expulsion claiming it as a victory.
It was defeated 18 votes to 11, with one MP abstaining from voting and another absent from the meeting.
“It would be a mistake to assume that the result of that vote is a gauge on the final result of the expulsion motion,” one source said. “I think that result was a mixture of some people from the conservative bloc wanting to bury the issue so they’re not forced to vote against the leader. Others want to ensure it goes ahead in order to humiliate him.”
Mr Pesutto has accused Ms Deeming of “conducting activities in a manner likely to bring discredit on the parliament or the Parliamentary Party.” He has provided MPs with a 15-page dossier of evidence to back his case.
In an address to her colleagues it is understood Ms Deeming sought to defend her position and refuted the case against her.
She also refused to denounce organisers of the Let Women Speak rally she attended on Saturday _ British activist Kellie-Jay Keen and Angie Jones.
Ms Deeming has vowed to fight the motion against her and has told colleagues she wants to remain a member of the parliamentary party.
She has also denounced Nazism and denied any links to far-right extremists.
When she entered the party room meeting she was flanked by colleagues Chris Crewther, David Hodgett, Ann-Marie Hermans, Bill Tilley and former opposition leader, Matthew Guy.
Warrandyte MP Ryan Smith told ABC radio the case against Ms Deeming didn’t stack up.
“I can’t see any evidence that she’s associated with Nazis,” he said.
“Some of the evidence that’s been shown to me appears to have been put together to fit the accusation rather than the other way around.
“The next few days will be the opportunity for leadership to change my view on that.
“I can’t see any reason why we should be expelling someone who’s been firstly elected by the party and then subsequently elected by the people in western Melbourne.”
Mr Pesutto said he was “confident” his Liberal colleagues understood why he was moving to expel Ms Deeming from the party.
“I’m confident, as I’ve said, that the party understands why I’m doing this and I don’t want to pre-empt it too much,” he said. “The party has to deal with this. There is a process, I respect that process.”
One senior Liberal said Mr Pesutto would win “quite easily”.
“The rank and file are sick of this carry on. They don’t want to associate with the extreme right anymore,” they said. “The vast majority have had enough.
“John has made absolutely the right call, and this will strengthen his position quite considerably.”
Indigenous leader and former Labor Party national president Warren Mundine called the opposition leader “gutless” and incapable of leading the Liberals to victory.
“This is a continuation of the Liberal leadership that has been so pathetic over the years … he (Pesutto) is completely hopeless,” Mundine told Sky News. “What a knee-jerk reaction. If I was Moira I’d sue him for defamation. John (Pesutto) needs to get a backbone and stand up for liberal values.
“The woman did nothing wrong. In fact Moira was attacked and beaten around the legs by one of the demonstrators and his reaction is to blame her? Talk about blaming the victim. This man is a fool and the sooner they get rid of him the better chance they’ll have of an election victory.”
The party will meet at 10am on Monday to vote on the move to expel her.
‘Enough of the spin and slander’
Ms Deeming on Tuesday was flanked by support colleagues as she entered the Liberal party room meeting ahead of the parliamentary sitting week.
Ms Deeming has insisted she did nothing wrong by attending an anti-trans rally on Saturday, doubling down on her pledge to fight moves to expel her from the party.
In a statement on Monday afternoon, Ms Deeming said calls for her expulsion marked an “inflection point” for the Liberal Party in Victoria.
“Does it accept the utterly false premise that anyone who chooses to speak out reasonably, constructively, and legally is somehow an endorsement for anyone at all who happens to show up at a public event?” she wrote.
“Are we truly suggesting that we let Daniel Andrews decide the rules about who is attached to and responsible for who?
“Or will the Liberal Party choose this moment to draw a line in the sand and stand on our principles. I believe that Victorians want us as Liberals to stand up to the bullying from Daniel Andrews. They’ve had enough of the spin and the slander. And enough of women and girls being silenced about the extraordinary challenges we face.”
Ms Deeming said despite having done nothing wrong, a “select few members of the Liberal leadership team have condemned me unjustly”.
“My intention is to fight and to remain a member of the team. I hope that my colleagues draw the line and say enough, and that I am able to fight alongside them,” she added.
“I hope that when I have the opportunity to present the facts as they occurred, that my colleagues will stand on principle and vote down the motion to have me expelled.”
Ms Deeming claimed the rally on Saturday was attended by Muslims, Christians, Atheists and members of the Greens, Labor, LDP and Liberal Parties.
She said she and other attendees were “horrified” to see masked men dressed in black clothing and feared she would be attacked.
“I completely reject the beliefs of National Socialists (Nazis) and I have seen first-hand the impact that the Holocaust had on a family member,” she said.
“None of those organising the event had any involvement with these men.”
Albo calls on Aussies to condemn Nazi salutes
Anthony Albanese has called on all Australians to condemn Nazi salutes and slogans after a group of protesters performed the gesture on the steps of the Victorian Parliament.
Speaking on Nova 100, the Prime Minister said: “We saw an anti-trans rally, which is really disrespectful of people, and then it was joined by a bunch of people who were essentially doing Nazi salutes and slogans”.
“All of that, of course, should be condemned by all Australians,” Mr Albanese said.
“There‘s no place in Australia for Nazi salutes and, and people basically paying tribute to Nazis who are responsible for the Holocaust.”
Attorney-General lashes out at Dutton
Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus has blasted Peter Dutton for “failing” to condemn the display of the Nazi salute and back John Pesutto‘s move to expel Moira Deeming.
But the Opposition leader has rejected the claims saying it was an “unfounded attack” and that he had been misrepresented.
The fiery debate during Question Time came after Macnamara MP Josh Burns asked Mr Dreyfus why it was important to condemn public displays of right-wing extremism and Nazi symbolism.
“There is no place in Australian society for public displays of Nazi symbols or the Nazi salute,” Mr Dreyfus told the parliament.
“These are markers of some of the darkest days in world history, of ghettos, of deportations, and mass murder that touched my own family.
“For the leader of a party of government to not even condemn the public use of the Nazi salute is astonishing and it‘s shameful.
“The Leader of the Opposition is the most senior Liberal in Australia, Moira Deeming is one of his own and he‘s been silent and done nothing.”
The attack sparked outcries from both sides of the house with WA Liberal MP Melissa Price yelling “what did she (Deeming) do wrong?”.
Mr Dutton responded by saying the Coalition joined with Labor in condemning “any use of Nazi symbols of the salute, of any glorification of that period of history”.
He said his party would support any legislation federal Labor introduced to condemn the use of Nazi symbols “noting you have not chosen to move any legislation”.
“The slaughter of Jews and the treatment by the Nazis of people during the Second World War, the treatment today of people of the Jewish faith is an abomination,” Mr Dutton said.
“It is equally condemned (that) it would be used for political purposes in this place, is a very poor reflection on you.”
Both Mr Dutton and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese traded barbs following the debate.
Dan: ‘Nasty, hateful little rabble’
Daniel Andrews on Tuesday lashed the Liberal Party, accusing them of becoming a “nasty, hateful little rabble”.
The Premier, on Tuesday, took aim at opposition leader John Pesutto’s failure to condemn Moira Deeming’s anti-trans views.
Mr Pesutto has threatened to boot Ms Deeming from the party room over her links to anti-trans campaigners who have links with far-right extremists.
Mr Andrews said Mr Pesutto and the opposition failed to call out Ms Deeming’s anti-trans views.
“That rally was a nasty, hateful event long before anyone offered up the Nazi salute,” he said.
“You might say that the Liberal Party are increasingly becoming a nasty, hateful little rabble.
“Mr Pesutto and the Liberal Party can explain why some forms of hate are OK and other forms aren’t.
“I think all hate is wrong.”
Mr Andrews said the transgender community was at far-greater risk of self harm.
“Why would you make it harder for trans Victorians? The notion that people are choosing this for fun – it’s so offensive, it’s so cruel,” he added.
Mr Andrews said none of his MPs were in attendance at the rally, despite Ms Deeming’s claims that Labor members had been onsite.
Pesutto confident he has the party room’s support
Opposition leader John Pesutto says Moira Deeming escorted a prominent anti-trans activist with established links to neo-Nazis through the Victorian parliament.
Ms Deeming’s future within the Liberal parliamentary party is now in jeopardy, with Mr Pesutto moving a motion to expel her after she attended the rally which was organised by British anti-trans rights campaigner Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull.
Mr Pesutto on Monday said he couldn’t accept that Ms Deeming didn’t know the organisers had links to neo-Nazis and white supremacists.
Mr Pesutto, who believes he has the support of his party room to dump the controversial MP, claimed it took just 20 minutes to “investigate the histories of these people” that attended the protest.
“Kellie-Jay Keen has a rap sheet of associations, on the public record, with people known to be fascists,” Mr Pesutto said.
“I just can’t satisfy that Moira didn’t know.
“It wasn’t just that Moira had escorted organisers through the precinct of parliament. It wasn’t just that Moira stayed at the protest when Nazis turned up. It was the celebration that you can see on social media afterwards, which tells you perhaps all you need to know about why it’s necessary to bring this motion.
“It’s saying that ‘I am prepared to associate with those people and not take the opportunity to walk away from them despite the odious things they have shared’.
“Any question of an association, even indirectly, to Nazis, white supremacists, ethno-fascists or whatever else, is so odious in 2023, as it should be, that I can’t see a way back.”
Ms Deeming had been spruiking on social media that she would attend the Let Women Speak rally, and used parliament to call on Minister for Women Natalie Hutchins to also join her.
Mr Pesutto rejected suggestions that he should have been aware of her intention to protest with the group.
“I’m not there to babysit the activities of every MP. I can’t babysit every MP,” he said.
“Every MP has a responsibility, not just to this parliament, but to the people they represent, to conduct themselves in a way which respects our democracy, and doesn’t provide an opening for Nazis or whomever else who peddles odious and hateful views.”
Mr Pesutto said it was his understanding that Ms Deeming was the only Liberal MP to attend the rally.
He couldn’t confirm if Liberal Party members were in attendance.
It’s expected the Liberal party room will meet early next week to vote on Ms Deeming’s future.
Mr Pesutto said he was “confident” he would have the support of his party room, but added that “everyday is a test of leadership”.
“I would consider it a great failure of leadership if I didn’t take this action,” he said.
“It will be for the party room alone, and each member of the party room, to make a decision.
“I’m confident it will pass but I’m also respectful of the fact that they will decide the answer to that.”
Asked what will happen if the vote fails, Mr Pesutto said: “I have a tendency to bounce back from anything, but that’s not a scenario that I’m particularly worried about.”
It comes after the Herald Sun reported Mr Pesutto was facing an uphill battle to expel Moira Deeming from the Liberal party room, according to senior figures.
Party figures opposing the move say they too were “confident” the motion would be defeated in a move that would be huge blow to Mr Pesutto’s authority.
Some party figures backing the move also feared it may not have enough support.
“It’s close, but there are unexpected opposers,” one source said.
One list of MPs expected voting intentions, seen by the Herald Sun, shows the vote would currently be defeated by a single vote.
It means Mr Pesutto and the party’s leadership team would need to work to secure support before bringing on a vote, which can be held as early as Friday.
Those firmly in Mr Pesutto’s camp believe they have evidence of strong links between Ms Deeming and far right extremists that predate Saturday’s rally.
And they say the decision to expel her has nothing to do with the transgender debate, but with her association to extremists.
A dossier of evidence has been compiled by party officials.
“I don’t think the opposers have understood the severity of this,” one source said.
Ms Deeming on Sunday distanced herself from the neo-Nazi movement.
“I am so distressed that nobody is listening to or addressing the concerns of women,” she told the Herald Sun. “Nobody endorsed those Nazis.
“We all condemned them. But nobody listened to what the women actually said.”
Party figures say her attendance at the rally is her third strike following two controversial speeches: one her maiden speech to parliament, and a second in honour of International Women’s Day.
A move to expel Ms Deeming can’t be put to the party room before Friday, because party rules require five days notice be given.
It will be the first test of leadership for Mr Pesutto, who beat senior opposition MP Brad Battin by a single vote to snare the top job in December.
Even if Ms Deeming is expelled from the parliamentary wing of the party, it is believed she would survive any move to expel her from the broader Liberal Party.
“Yesterday afternoon Victorians witnessed an abomination on the steps of the Victorian parliament when neo-Nazi protesters engaged in an affront to the values we should all hold dear as Victorians,’ Mr Pesutto said.
“The violence, prejudice and hate that these protesters conveyed by their odious actions will never be acceptable in our State. I condemn them and commit to opposing such hate wherever it may exist.
“This afternoon I met with Moira Deeming MP who attended yesterday’s rally. I discussed her involvement in organising, promoting and participating in a rally with speakers and other organisers who themselves have been publicly associated with far right-wing extremist groups including neo-Nazi activists.
“At our meeting I informed Ms Deeming that I will move a motion at the next party room meeting to expel her as a member of the parliamentary Liberal Party as her position is untenable.
“This is not an issue about free speech but a member of the parliamentary party associating with people whose views are abhorrent to my values, the values of the Liberal Party and the wider community.”
Mr Pesutto said the Liberal Party had to be better at representing all Victorians.
“No matter what our background we all share the abiding bond of an essential humanity,” he said.
“Equality of opportunity, the benefits to each and all of an enterprising culture, the security that comes from the rule of law, the strength which stems from families and communities that can live together in search of happiness while sharing in Victoria’s prosperity, must extend to all people who reside in our land”.
In May former opposition leader Matthew Guy successfully moved to expel Bernie Finn, who Ms Deeming replaced, from the party room.
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