Christian MP Moira Deeming has been expelled from Victoria’s Liberal parliamentary party after threatening to sue state leader John Pesutto.
Liberal members voted 19 to 11 to expel Ms. Deeming for “bringing discredit” to the party during a meeting on Friday (May 12).
Another Christian MP Renee Heath who was responsible for taking disputed minutes from an earlier party room meeting in March to expel Ms. Deeming, was removed as party secretary as part of a separate motion.
Mr. Pesutto said Ms. Heath’s sacking “reflected a view in the room that there had been a loss of confidence in the performance of the role, not in Renee personally.”
Ms. Deeming did not attend Friday’s meeting after lawyers acting for her served Mr. Pesutto with a defamation concerns notice which threatened court action if he did not immediately withdraw the expulsion motion, publish an apology to her on his website, and pay her compensation and legal costs.
The concerns notice reportedly alleges Mr. Pesutto accused Ms Deeming of being a Nazi sympathiser making her unfit to sit in the Victorian Parliament. Mr. Pesutto has denied those claims.
Ms. Deeming also alleges the Liberal leader reneged on an agreement for a full retraction of the claims.
Mr. Pesutto vowed he would not bow to any of the demands listed in the notice, saying: “I’ll obviously instruct my lawyers to do what’s necessary in order to vigorously defend the action.”
Ms. Deeming insists her expulsion was based on false and defamatory accusations.
The Liberal leader declined to go into the full details of the reasons for her expulsion.
“Our party members absolutely will get the detail of these matters, but I’m just not in the business of airing party room meetings publicly,” Mr. Pesutto asserted.
He insisted: “What has happened today and in recent weeks has nothing to do with whether somebody is conservative or progressive. I’m very comfortable with a diversity of viewpoints because I know that the Liberal Party is at its best when that diversity is respected and upheld.”
MP James Newbury simply explained: “You cannot sue your boss and expect to keep your job. Suing your party and leader is a gross act of betrayal.”
Another MP Sam Groth said the decision should be a “line in the sand” for the party ahead of the May 23 state budget.
“We need to start listening to people. At the moment we’ve been talking about ourselves,” he said.
Ms. Deeming will now sit on the Upper House crossbench as an independent.
She remains a member of the Liberal Party but discussions are reported to be ongoing as to whether she will also be sanctioned by the party administration.