Key backers behind Moira Deeming’s case against John Pesutto revealed

The key backers among more than 1000 donors funding Moira Deeming’s defamation case against John Pesutto can be revealed.

Expelled Victorian Liberal MP Moira Deeming Picture: NCA NewsWire / Luis Ascui

A prominent Indigenous leader, longstanding Liberal donors with deep pockets and the wife of mining magnate and former politician Clive Palmer are among expelled Liberal Moira Deeming’s key financial backers in her defamation suit against Victorian Opposition Leader John Pesutto.

The Australian understands Mrs Deeming has commitments from larger donors to see her all the way through legal bills which are likely to reach well into the millions, even if further donations are required, with about 1000 predominantly smaller donors so far having contributed cash.

The Deeming camp has confirmed the names of donors who have given the upper house MP $600 or more, ahead of the six-monthly tabling in state parliament next week of the register of members’ interests.

News broke late last week of commitments from former Liberal premiers Jeff Kennett, Ted Baillieu and Denis Napthine to contribute to Mr Pesutto’s legal fund, with the Liberal leader on Tuesday committing to publish a full list of his backers “in coming days”.

Under parliamentary disclosure rules, both Mrs Deeming and Mr Pesutto must name all donors who contribute amounts above the $600 threshold, but they are not required to disclose amounts given, or name anyone who donates a smaller amount.

The case is set for a two week trial in September, with leading barristers Sue Chrysanthou SC and Matt Collins KC acting for Mrs Deeming and Mr Pesutto respectively.

Indigenous leader and former Liberal candidate Warren Mundine at a rally against anti-Semitism in Sydney last weekend. Picture: Jeremy Piper

Indigenous leader, former Liberal candidate and leading “No” campaigner in last year’s failed Voice referendum, Warren Mundine, is among those who have donated more than $600 to Mrs Deeming’s cause.

Mr Mundine told The Australian he had known Mrs Deeming and her family “for many years”, and helped her to campaign at the last state election.

“We got big swings in western Melbourne to the Coalition. It was the only place in the state that the Liberal Party got swings, really,” he said.

“I saw John as the hope, after I met him, to getting the Victorian Liberals back on track, to throwing the Labor government out, but within weeks, he trashed all that (by taking action against Deeming).

“I don’t understand why he did that. To be quite honest, and it’s a sad indictment of the situation, as they’re going to find it very difficult to come within cooee of the Labor government, despite how bad the government is.

“I’ve known Moira and her husband and family for many years. I’m very confident that she will win (the case against Pesutto), because there is no way that she is some sort of crazy Nazi and I don’t understand why the party has gone down this track.

“Everyone involved in this, even the three former Premiers on the other side, we’re all in this for the betterment of the Liberal Party. I want to make that quite clear. We need to have the Liberal Party in Victoria back in government.”

Victorian Opposition Leader John Pesutto. Picture: NCA NewsWire /Luis Enrique Ascui

Other significant contributors of more than $600 to Mrs Deeming’s cause include Hunter Valley property developer and longstanding Liberal donor Hilton Grugeon, Clive Palmer’s wife Anna Palmer, and former Shark Tank judge, serial tech investor and Advance Australia backer Steve Baxter.

Colorpak packaging company founder Walter Commins has also donated, as have financial adviser, motivational speaker and director of Sydney Catholic media company Parousia, Kevin Bailey, and Stephanie Bastiaan, who is a research fellow at gender-critical feminist organisation Women’s Forum Australia and the wife of former Liberal Party powerbroker Marcus Bastiaan.

Conservative advocacy organisation Gender Awareness Australia, also known as Binary, is similarly a key Deeming backer.

The Australian understands hundreds of smaller donations have come from grassroots Liberal Party members.

Labor’s leader in the Legislative Assembly, Mary Anne Thomas, issued a press release on Tuesday urging Mr Pesutto to “come clean about the extent of his fundraising drive”, arguing he should be disclosing the names of all donors and amounts donated “in real time”.

“In November 2023 Mr Pesutto said that he would “not be asking the (Liberal) Party to cover any legal fees”. Now it’s been reported that several people, including former Premiers Jeff Kennett, Ted Baillieu and Denis Napthine have already made donations towards his million-dollar legal defence – which his own party has refused to pay for,” Ms Thomas said, publishing a list of 10 questions she argued the Opposition Leader should answer.

“Mr Pesutto must immediately come clean with Victorians and explain why his million dollar legal defence, funded by private donors, is not a significant conflict of interest,” Ms Thomas said.

“If Mr Pesutto isn’t trusted by his own party, how can he expect to be trusted by Victorians?”

Expelled Victorian Liberal MP Moira Deeming. Photograph by Arsineh Houspian.

Mr Pesutto hit back at Ms Thomas, describing her as “incompetent”.

“I am declaring all contributions to my legal defence, and they will be filed in accordance with parliamentary procedures,” he said.

“The Minister should focus on her job. She’s one of the most incompetent ministers in the government, and she should be spending less time on personal attacks on me, which don’t make a difference to me at all.”

Ms Thomas retaliated with a barb of her own, referring to an announcement she made earlier on Tuesday about a pilot program enabling community pharmacists to treat a range of common skin conditions.

“Unfortunately, there is no treatment yet available for thin skin,” she said.