Victorian Opposition Leader John Pesutto is expected to face a leadership challenge in the coming days, with a crucial party room meeting scheduled for Friday.It is understood Berwick MP Brad Battin could be the challenger to the leadership.The meeting will also include a motion to readmit exiled MP Moira Deeming to the party, a week after a similar motion failed in a 14-all vote deadlock.
The Age, News, 20/12/2024 photo by Justin McManus. Liberal Party meeting after Moira Deeming won her defamation case against John Pesutto MP's leaving the party room meeting after voting to keep Moira Deeming out of the party. Party Leader John Pesutto speaking with media after the meeting. (Justin McManus.)Pesutto used his vote last week to break the deadlock, telling reporters that the vote concluded "the matter".However, in an extraordinary backflip, Pesutto issued a statement yesterday calling for another meeting on January 15 to "discuss and vote on a motion" to readmit Deeming to the parliamentary Liberal Party."Since last Friday's meeting it has become clear that there is now a definite absolute majority of my colleagues who want this issue resolved with her readmission so that we can collectively put this behind us and concentrate on the Prahran and Werribee by-elections and holding the Allan Labor government to account," he said."I again apologise to Mrs Deeming as we all work together to ensure the Liberal Party succeeds in winning government in November 2026."The decision to not readmit Deeming was heavily criticised by several Liberal MPs, including former prime minister Tony Abbott, who described it as "shameful"."How can someone elected as a Liberal be expelled on the basis of a lie and not be readmitted once the truth is there for all to see? Especially right before Christmas, the season of goodwill, this is a truly contemptible failure to act with honour and decency," Abbot said last week.
01/10/24 Former Liberal politition Moira Deeming arrives at the Federal Court for a case against leader of the State opposition John Pesutto. Photograph by Chris Hopkins (Photograph by Chris Hopkins).However last week, Deeming won her case against Pesutto, with the Federal Court ruling that he had defamed her during a series of media appearances and in a party expulsion motion.The judge found that Pesutto had implied Deeming was unfit to remain in the parliamentary Liberal Party.Following the ruling, Pesutto addressed the media, stating he had no plans to step down as head of the Liberal Party.He also stated he would not personally support a decision to reintegrate Deeming within the party, but said it would be a matter for the party as a whole to decide on.Deeming told reporters she "still believed" in the Liberal Party and had "every right" to return" following her win."I have every right to be there, I did nothing wrong," she said."All the accusations that were made about me, they were just disproven in court."
