John Pesutto safe for now from Victorian leadership spill but facing defamation suits

John Pesutto’s legal predicament fed a weekend of speculation over his Liberal state leadership but no potential challenger has emerged publicly.

Victorian Liberal leader John Pesutto. Picture: NCA NewsWire / David Crosling

Victorian Opposition Leader John Pesutto is not expected to face a leadership challenge when his Liberal partyroom meets on Tuesday, despite now facing three defamation suits, as UK-based gender critical feminist Kellie-Jay Keen and fellow activist Angela Jones prepare to file statements of claim in the Federal Court.

The latest cases, first flagged by The Australian in July, add to a two-week trial set down for September, when the court will hear expelled Liberal MP Moira Deeming’s case against Mr Pesutto over his alleged treatment of her after she, Ms Keen and Ms Jones organised a Let Women Speak rally a year ago, which was gatecrashed by neo-Nazis.

Mr Pesutto’s legal predicament fed a weekend of fervid speculation over his leadership, but no potential challenger has ­either declared their hand or rung key MPs seeking support – with several rumoured rivals, including police spokesman Brad Battin and Treasury spokesman Brad Rowswell, categorically ruling out running.

While there is no shortage of unhappiness among MPs over the performance of Mr Pesutto – who won the leadership by just one vote in a contest with Mr Battin following the 2022 election – the partyroom is so divided that a rival candidate is yet to emerge who is viewed as being capable of uniting sufficient numbers of disaffected Liberals to successfully launch a challenge.

Party sources have also speculated any potential challenger would be wise to wait for the fallout from the court cases to transpire before making a move closer to the 2026 election, rather than risk becoming embroiled in it.

The Australian understands a tranche of affidavits set to be filed in coming weeks as part of Ms Deeming’s case are likely to make allegations against not only Mr Pesutto, but fellow members of the Liberal leadership team, and a number of other MPs who played a role in moving to expel her from the parliamentary party.

Moira Deeming, Kellie-Jay Keen, Ms Keen’s lawyer and former Liberal candidate Katherine Deves and Angie Jones speaking in a post-event video broadcast on Ms Keen’s website after the March 2023 Let Women Speak rally. Picture: supplied.

The involvement in the case of multiple senior Liberals, coupled with Ms Deeming’s ongoing demand for her expulsion to be revoked, means the case is likely to continue to present a headache for party leadership, even if Mr Pesutto ceases to be leader.

Numerous Liberal MPs told The Australian on Monday they were not expecting an imminent spill, with bald backbencher Wayne Farnham declaring: “You’ve got more chance of seeing me in the haircare aisle at the supermarket than you do of there being a leadership spill tomorrow. I have not had one phone call (from a potential challenger or someone acting on their behalf).”

One MP was adamant that former tennis star and first-term Liberal Sam Groth had been canvassing support for the leadership in recent weeks, but Mr Groth told journalists on his way into a shadow cabinet meeting that he was headed upstairs to work with Mr Pesutto and “let everyone in Victoria know we’ll provide a ­viable alternative”.

Another MP said that while there “were people that were keen” for a leadership challenge, “the numbers aren’t there yet as far as I can tell”.

Yet another, a key Pesutto detractor, said “no potential leader has been lobbying me”, and anyone considering challenging needed to “prove they stand for something, so we’re not just shifting deckchairs on the Titanic”.

Expelled Liberal MP Moira Deeming. Photograph by Arsineh Houspian.

Many lamented what one MP described as a “free kick” being given to Labor while the Liberals talked about themselves.

“They must be laughing their heads off. We’re the gift that keeps on giving, at a time when there’s so much going wrong that we should be talking about,” the MP said.

Several anti-Pesutto MPs suggested that sources close to the leader had played a role in feeding the latest leadership speculation.

“If there’s speculation and nothing happens, it ultimately helps him,” said one – venturing a theory that was dismissed by MPs closer to Mr Pesutto.

Ahead of having to table details of donors to his legal battle in state parliament this week, Mr Pesutto confirmed the contributors to his cause include former premiers Jeff Kennett, Ted Baillieu and Denis Napthine.