By Sumeyya Ilanbey and Broede Carmody
Victorian Liberal MPs on Friday morning voted 19-11 in a two-hour meeting to expel rebel MP Moira Deeming from the parliamentary party room, marking what Opposition Leader John Pesutto called a “real turning point”.
The MPs also removed Deeming’s supporter, Renee Heath, from her party room secretary role.
Pesutto sought to downplay tensions between moderate and conservative Liberals highlighted by the split vote, in which more than a third of party room members supported Deeming.
“We made real progress today. There’s a very good understanding of how united and disciplined we need to be.”
Pesutto said his focus would now be on winning government in 2026 by holding the Andrews government to account on infrastructure cost blowouts and integrity.
“This was more about being part of a team and being disciplined,” he said. “I think that was operating on the minds of the people who made the ultimate decision today.
“This is not a decision any political party will take lightly. I certainly want this to be the last time we invoke our disciplinary procedures.”
Although Deeming was expelled from the parliamentary party, she is still a member of the wider Liberal Party, a situation that Pesutto said was under active consideration.
“My understanding is the administrative wing of the party is considering the matter,” he said. “I don’t want to preempt anything they may decide. There will be a lot of discussions underway and I know there are at the moment.”
Longstanding upper house MP David Davis, who confirmed he would vote for the motion as he stepped into the meeting early on Friday, described the result as “strong and decisive”.
‘This is not a decision any political party will take lightly. I certainly want this to be the last time we invoke our disciplinary ticket.’
Opposition Leader John Pesutto
“This is about the future and us taking on the Andrews Labor government,” he said.
Brighton MP James Newbury, who was one of the MPs to put his name to today’s motion, said: “You cannot sue your boss and expect to keep your job.”
Deeming told colleagues in an email on Thursday afternoon she would not be attending, and then fired off a defamation threat to Pesutto, who confirmed he has engaged lawyers to “vigorously defend” any action.
The Western Metropolitan Region MP was widely expected to be expelled from the party room after she told the leadership team last week she intended to sue for defamation and launch legal proceedings to challenge her nine-month suspension.
Pesutto attempted to dump the first-term MP from the Liberal benches almost two months ago after she attended the Let Women Speak rally, which was gate-crashed by neo-Nazis.
The party room ended up reaching a compromise deal to suspend Deeming for nine months, but the first-term MP believed a key component of the agreement – a statement by Pesutto declaring she was not a Nazi or Nazi-sympathiser – was not fulfilled. The opposition leader has denied that was ever part of the deal.
Premier Daniel Andrews weighed in on the Liberal party schism, accusing Pesutto of only acting to permanently expel Deeming after she threatened to sue him for defamation.
“The moment she threatened to sue Mr Pesutto, she has to go. That tells you all you need to know,” Andrews said.
“They’re about themselves. What’s more, they’re opposed to everything, including each other.”
Andrews said the Liberal Party was irrelevant.
“I haven’t got time under time to behave like the Liberal Party. And I certainly don’t have even the time to laugh at them because it’s not funny,” he said.
On Twitter, Deeming thanked a lone protester on the steps of the Parliament House, saying she was “grateful to him and my other supporters”.
Former Liberal leader Matthew Guy arrives for the vote.Credit: Eddie Jim
Michael O’Brien, Jess Wilson, Georgie Crozier and David Southwick left a Higgins 200 Club Liberal Party breakfast fundraiser at 8.20am to make their way to the party room meeting, according to a source at the event.
Nepean MP and former tennis player Sam Groth, who has long argued the Liberal Party needs to stop talking about itself, said before the vote he would listen to the respective arguments, but that it was time to “start moving forward as a party”.
Former opposition leader Matthew Guy, who put his name to Friday’s motion, declined to comment.
Shadow treasurer Brad Rowswell said he looked forward to the period after the vote, when the opposition would be able to give more of its attention to the upcoming state budget.
He added that Pesutto would “100 per cent” survive as leader.
Former treasurer Kim Wells said it was a shame that the Deeming saga had culminated in a second party room vote.
“I wish it hadn’t come to this,” he said as he entered parliament ahead of the vote.
“But now it’s got to be dealt with in the party room. So that’s the way it has to be.”
The new party room secretary is first-term upper house MP Trung Luu.
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