Controversial As she could be subject to an expulsion motion as soon as next week, Victorian MP Moira Deeming has denied plans to sue the Victorian Liberal Party.
As soon as the end of the following week, a motion to dismiss Ms. Deeming might be placed to a vote.
The assertion follows Victorian Liberal Party leader John Pesutto’s confirmation that the errant MP might be expelled from the organisation after threatening to file a lawsuit to get her Thursday suspension from the party room overturned.
Ms. Deeming was placed on administrative leave for nine months due to her participation in a protest against transgender rights that was coordinated by, according to Mr. Pesutto, people who had ties to neo-Nazis.
On Thursday, she sent Mr. Pesutto an email requesting a media comment by 2pm, failing which he would be subject to legal action.
In her letter on Thursday, Ms. Deeming stated that she had instructed her attorneys to prepare a legal defence against her suspension. “I have advised my lawyers to prepare a legal challenge over my suspension, because I believe that we need to come together as colleagues and have a do-over meeting,” she wrote.
The MP has now denied that she had any intention of suing the party.
Ms. Deeming claimed in a statement issued this morning that she has just “contemplated” seeking legal counsel in the form of mediation to assist her in settling the terms of her nine-month suspension.
In order to help me negotiate the terms of my suspension and ensure that the agreements made in the party room in March were upheld, I solely considered legal assistance (such as mediation).
All Ms. Deeming ever desired, according to her, was to get her name cleared.
She said that attempts made on her behalf by others to address the matter with the Liberal leadership group fell short.
Ms. Deeming asserts that after the leadership team rejected her request for a “legally mediated re-do to properly settle the conditions of my suspension,” she informed the president of the Victorian Liberal Party that she would not pursue the issue any further.
Ms. Deeming said in a later statement that her letter on Thursday was an effort to “exhaust every peaceful option.”
“My mention of the legal challenge was to help provide a case for the Liberal Party to legally justify a re-do of the meeting,” the speaker explained.
A close-up of a man with grey hair who is not grinning and is gazing to the side.
Mr. Pesutto stated expulsion was “on the table” despite being “a very serious thing” in his remarks on Friday.
He said, “I’m going to consult with my colleagues on this.”
“We intend to change the party. We want a party that is friendly, inclusive, and committed to becoming a strong opposition and holding an unjust administration accountable. If we’re continuously sidetracked by one problem or another, we can’t accomplish it.
Ms. Deeming was threatened with expulsion at the same time as federal Opposition Leader Peter Dutton promised to launch a federal intervention to end the dispute.
Mr. Dutton stated on Friday, “I wouldn’t rule out federal assistance and I make it very clear to the Victorian division I want this situation resolved as quickly as possible.
Members of the Victorian Liberal Party demand a party clean-out due to growing infighting
The Victorian Liberal Party is in danger due to internal conflict, and now its members are demanding a clean-out. Richard Willingham, a political reporter in Victoriana, wonders if this is the point at which the party regains control following the upheaval.
Accusations of internal bullying and threats from Ms. Deeming to sue Opposition Leader John Pesutto have rocked the Liberal Party, sparking a new vote for her expulsion.
Natalie Hutchins, Victoria’s Minister for Women, responded to questions about the matter by stating that Ms. Deeming was elected in the absence of any female representation in the Liberal Party.
She claimed that the party’s protocols should have screened out candidates like Moira Deeming since they were “clearly desperate for candidates at the election.”
We currently have a Liberal Party leader who is fumbling around attempting to solve an issue that he contributed to creating.
With a vote before the end of the following week, a proposal to expel Ms. Deeming might be circulated as early as this Saturday.
