Jeff Kennett digs deep for John Pesutto in Moira Deeming defamation case
Jeff Kennett is among the group of influential party figures who will help pay John Pesutto’s legal bills in the Moira Deeming case.
Three former Liberal premiers are digging deep to help cover Opposition Leader John Pesutto’s legal defence against Moira Deeming’s defamation action.
Jeff Kennett has confirmed he is among a group of influential party figures who are financially backing Mr Pesutto in the costly action launched by the expelled Liberal MP.
Mr Kennett, Victorian premier from 1992 to 1999, has also blasted the Victorian Liberal Party for failing to underwrite Mr Pesutto’s legal defence which could cost up to $1m.
“To me it is unacceptable that the party won’t support him,” he told The Weekend Australian.
“He said what he said in the course of his duties, no one is going to take on leadership of anything if they have to potentially fund cases that are brought by people. It’s just crazy, and to me it is very disappointing.”
Ex-premiers Ted Baillieu and Denis Napthine, who led the state between 2010 and 2014, have also agreed to financially support Mr Pesutto.
“All three of us believe that John deserves to be supported,” he told the Herald Sun. “None of us hesitated.” Mr Napthine could not be reached for comment.
The high-powered tin rattling emerged as lawyers for Mrs Deeming took issue with Mr Pesutto’s argument that a group of neo-Nazis attended a “Let Women Speak” rally, which is at the centre of her case against the Opposition Leader.
The case has been set down for a two week trial in September, with Mr Pesutto and Mrs Deeming respectively being represented by star defamation barristers Matt Collins KC and Sue Chrysanthou SC.
In his defence, filed late last month, Mr Pesutto’s lawyers characterise the neo-Nazis as having attended the March 2023 rally, which was hosted by UK women’s rights activist Kellie-Jay Keen’s organisation “Standing for Women UK”, in protest against what she, Mrs Deeming and other attendees see as the infringement of transgender self-identification laws upon the rights of women and children.
But in documents filed earlier this week, Mrs Deeming’s legal team argues that the neo-Nazis, who performed the Nazi salute on the steps of Victorian Parliament, “did not ‘attend’ or participate in the Let Women Speak rally (LWS Rally), but were present on the steps of Parliament House for a Protect the Children rally (PC Rally) being held in front of Parliament House at or about the same time as the LWS Rally.”
“The PC Rally was not associated with the LWS Rally but was promoted and held in Melbourne in association with a PC Rally being held in Sydney on the same day,” Mrs Deeming’s lawyers argue.
“LWS was granted a permit to conduct the LWS Rally on 18 March 2023 by Parliament House authorities, but was specifically not permitted to conduct it from or stand on the steps of Parliament House.
“Deeming and the organisers of and speakers at the LWS Rally did not know that the PC Rally was scheduled to be held at or about the same time as the LWS Rally or whether it had any permission from relevant authorities to be held at or be present in front of Parliament House at that time.
Mrs Deeming’s lawyers argue the neo-Nazis “did not support, listen or pay attention” to the speakers at their rally, and remained separated from the LWS protesters by a police cordon at all times.
They cite livestreamed video footage of the protest as evidence of their position, and argue Mr Pesutto was presented with this footage at a meeting between Mrs Deeming and the Liberal leadership team the day after the rally.
Mrs Deeming’s lawyers have also cited a social media post from neo-Nazi Thomas Sewell, who described the LWS rally as “a
rally that was going on simultaneously to ours.”
They also dispute any assertion that Ms Keen, or fellow LWS organiser Angela Jones, had any association with the neo-Nazis.
The Australian revealed earlier this week that Ms Keen has issued defamation concerns notices against both the ABC and Mr Pesutto, as she prepares to lodge her own case in the Federal Court, which could run concurrently with Mrs Deeming’s.
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