Deeming de-selection delayed as Hanson rules out One Nation path
Victorian Liberal Moira Deeming delayed her party's attempt to revoke her endorsement through court action, while One Nation leader Pauline Hanson declared she would not welcome Deeming into her party.
Moira Deeming, the controversial Victorian Liberal upper house member, on Friday secured a temporary reprieve from de-selection after launching Supreme Court proceedings against the party's president, Brian Loughnane. The move halted the Liberal Party's scheduled executive meeting aimed at revoking her endorsement, dragging out a dispute that has become a source of friction for the state opposition as it heads toward November elections.
The Victorian Liberal Party had appeared ready to move forward with the disendorsement at Friday's meeting, but Deeming's injunction application forced a delay. After stops and starts in court, Loughnane's counsel agreed not to proceed until after a one-day trial scheduled for July 17. The Liberal Party subsequently announced it would adjourn the executive meeting until the matter could be determined.
"The party seemingly had its ducks in a row, but Deeming's legal move derailed the plan," the reporting indicates, highlighting the ongoing distraction for the state opposition during a critical period before the election.
The escalation
The bid to disendorse Deeming stems from her allegation that former Liberal leader Matthew Guy assaulted her at a function in May. Deeming reported the incident—in which Guy touched her while they struggled to hear each other in a noisy venue—to police. However, police ruled out any offence, and video footage did not support her description of events. Despite the police finding, Deeming refused to apologize to Guy.
Deeming's legal team has signalled she will argue the party must accord her natural justice if it wishes to disendorse her, while the Liberal Party contends she has already received such protections by being invited to the executive meeting.
One Nation door closes
Speculation had swirled that Deeming might seek a political home with One Nation should the Liberals move to disendorse her. But on Friday, One Nation leader Pauline Hanson shut that door firmly shut. "No – don't want her," Hanson told 3AW radio when asked if she would welcome Deeming.
Hanson's reasoning was direct. "I want a person with integrity and honesty, and I don't see that," she said, citing Deeming's unsubstantiated allegations against Guy, the refusal to apologize, and what she described as unwillingness to admit error. "It tells me she's a person who's not prepared to admit that they got it wrong and backs away with it," Hanson added.
What comes next
Even if the Liberal Party succeeds in disendorsing Deeming, she would remain free to contest the November election as an independent or candidate for another party. However, losing the Liberal endorsement would strip her of the party's campaign machinery and resources at a critical moment.
The delay has become another headache for the Liberals, which need maximum focus before the election, particularly as party leader Jess Wilson undertakes an extensive tour of all electorates. The Deeming saga has instead consumed media and party attention at a moment when the opposition can ill afford distraction.
According to the reporting, a Redbridge Victorian poll published in the Australian Financial Review this week showed One Nation in a prominent position in the state, though details were not provided.