Victorian Liberal MP Moira Deeming has lodged an 11th-hour legal challenge against her own party’s state president, Brian Loughnane, just hours before a meeting that could determine her candidacy for the upcoming state election. The case is set to be heard in the Victorian Supreme Court on Friday morning.
Party infighting escalates ahead of election
The legal action marks the latest chapter in a bitter internal dispute within the Victorian Liberal Party, coming less than five months out from the 28 November state election. Party executives, including Loughnane, are scheduled to meet on Friday evening to decide Deeming’s future as a candidate.
The upper house MP had previously made a police complaint against her colleague, former opposition leader Matthew Guy, alleging he assaulted her by grabbing her in a headlock at a gala dinner on 23 May. Victoria Police investigated the incident and concluded that “there was no offence detected”.
Guy demands apology
Guy has publicly demanded an apology from Deeming. “There was no ambiguity,” he said. “I did not do what was alleged. The CCTV proves this. It did from the start, and Victoria Police agree.” Deeming has since claimed she misunderstood the meaning of a headlock but has refused to apologise.
Opposition leader Jess Wilson refused to answer questions about the party process on Thursday but told reporters that Guy’s reputation had been harmed. “I think he deserves an apology,” she said. “That is the right thing to do, and Moira has decided that’s not the case. And now the state executive will meet.”
Deeming invited to state executive meeting
Deeming has been invited to attend the state executive meeting to present her side of the story, though it remains unclear whether she will attend. The scandal has further exposed disunity within the party, according to Monash University political scientist Zareh Ghazarian.
“This is arguably the most critical point for the Liberal leadership right now to clear their internal problems,” Ghazarian said. “This has to be resolved as quickly as possible because it’s already taken up a lot of political coverage … it has hobbled the party significantly.”
Legal and political fallout
Deeming’s lawyer, Tim Houweling, stated that his client’s complaint was made “honestly, in good faith and only as a matter of last resort”. He referred to CCTV footage showing Guy placing his hand on Deeming’s upper back or shoulder and pulling her in to say something, then doing a similar gesture with another man. Houweling said Guy maintained a grip as Deeming tried to pull away, describing the contact as “unexpected, unwelcome, physically painful and caused her to feel fear and confusion”.
Separately, Senator Pauline Hanson has ruled out offering Deeming a position with One Nation, stating that Deeming’s refusal to apologise to Guy showed she could not “admit that she got it wrong”. “You don’t do that to your fellow colleagues,” Hanson told 3AW radio.
Previous defamation case
This is not the first time Deeming has taken legal action against her own party. She successfully sued former leader John Pesutto for defamation after he wrongly implied she was associated with neo-Nazis who gatecrashed a rally she attended at Parliament House.
