Victorian Liberals Expel Moira Deeming
Image: Moira Deeming with British anti-trans campaigner Kellie-Jay Keen in Melbourne in March 2023. Image: Youtube
Victorian Liberals on Friday expelled MP Moira Deeming from the party. Deeming was suspended in March this year for her involvement in a rally in Melbourne organised by British anti-trans campaigner Kellie Jay-Keen, which was attended by neo-Nazis.
The current crisis within the Liberal Party followed an ultimatum issued by Deeming to Pessuto to issue a statement clarifying that she had not been accused of being a Nazi or a Nazi sympathiser.
Deming claimed that in March, Pesutto had agreed to issue a joint statement if she accepted the suspension. Pesutto said there was no such agreement. She subsequently denied that she had threatened to sue the Liberal Party.
However, last week, five Liberal MPs, including James Newbury, Roma Britnell, Wayne Farnham, Matthew Guy and Cindy McLeish – moved the motion to expel her for “bringing discredit” to the Parliamentary party.
Liberal MPs also sanctioned fellow MP Renee Heath for taking minutes in a party room meeting, reported ABC.
On Thursday, Deeming served a defamation notice on Opposition leader Pesutto. The notice demanded Pesutto withdraw the expulsion motion, issue a public apology to her and pay her compensation and legal costs within 28 days.
Despite being expelled from the Liberal Party, Deeming would continue to be a member of the Upper House of Victorian Parliament as a cross-bench MP.
‘Bigoted Views’
LGBTQI advocacy organisations welcomed Deeming’s expulsion.
“Thank you John Pesutto and James Newbury for ensuring the removal of Moira Deeming from the Victorian Liberal party room,” Victorian Pride Lobby posted on social media.
“While we wanted this to occur sooner, your stance shows courage and leadership. The LGBTIQA+ community needs your ongoing support in the face of growing hate.”
Victorian Premier Dan Andrews pointed out that the Liberals expelled Deeming over her threats to sue the party.
“All her other hateful, bigoted views, they were fine. But the moment she threatened to sue Mr Pesutto, she has to go. That tells you all you need to know,” Andrews told media persons.
Dan “(Moira Deeming’s) other hateful, bigoted views – they were fine. But the moment she threatened to sue Mr Pesutto she has to go. It tells you all you need to know”#auspol pic.twitter.com/YIbfNEllWY
— Squizz (@SquizzSTK) May 12, 2023
A History Of Anti-Trans Statements
Deeming was preselected to Liberal ticket for the western metropolitan region, as a replacement for former MP Bernie Finn over his anti-abortion statements.
A former teacher and councillor, Deeming has a history of making anti-trans statements.
During her time as Melton city councillor, Deeming attended meetings of various councils across Australia to ask if it was “legal for local government councils to provide sex-based targeted services and facilities separately to gender-identity based targeted services and facilities. If not, why not?”
Before being elected as a councillor, Deeming in her campaign statement in 2020, said she was against “radical policies” like storytimes for children narrated by Drag Queens and trans persons getting access to bathrooms that match their gender identity.
Deeming said that “primary school children were being subjected to erotic sexual content,” and claimed that “what most women would consider to be sexual harassment and indecent exposure is now legal in Victoria,” and called on the state to reinstate what she called “sex-based rights”.
