‘I deeply grieve it’: Deeming defends legal action but regrets damaging party

Victorian Liberal MP Moira Deeming has told colleagues she regrets the damage her latest legal action against the party is causing, but claims she is trying to avoid its “self-destruction” by challenging the internal push to revoke her election candidacy.

The Liberal state executive was due to meet on Friday night to decide whether to remove Deeming as their candidate for the November election after she refused to apologise for an unsubstantiated assault allegation against former party leader Matthew Guy.

But Deeming launched urgent legal action in the Supreme Court to stop the meeting going ahead on the basis they had denied her “natural justice”.

During a brief hearing on Friday, lawyers for state Liberal president Brian Loughnane provided an undertaking that the party would not take any further action on Deeming’s position as its no.1 candidate for the Western Metropolitan upper house region until the legal challenge was resolved.

It has been set down for a one-day trial on 17 July.

Liberal leader Jess Wilson refused to answer questions about the matter at a press conference on Saturday morning, saying she could not comment while it was before the courts.

In a text message to colleagues on Friday night and seen by this masthead, Deeming acknowledged the court case’s negative impact.

“I deeply grieve it and regret it. I am doing my best to fix it,” she wrote.

“It may not appear so to you right now, but my actions today were designed to secure the reprieve needed to avoid a slip into self-destruction, and mediate this out of existence for all our sakes.”

In a sign that the dispute could be resolved before returning to court, Deeming said she was seeking to settle the issue with the party, but also defended her allegations against Guy.

“I’m not above helping the party save face – but it is not true that I made a deliberate or reckless false allegation,” she said.

“I believe what we need are formal, objective and fair internal processes. Because our relationships are so strained, it’s a strange environment and it’s the only clear way forward.”

The furore began when Deeming accused Guy, a former Liberal leader and parliamentary colleague, of assault, including an unfounded claim that he put her in a headlock at an event in May.

CCTV footage from inside the Macedonian community event instead showed an innocuous interaction in which Guy briefly put his arm on Deeming’s shoulder as the pair leaned forward to hear one another in a crowded room. In mid-June, Deeming made a complaint to police, which was closed without charge.

Guy demanded an apology, as did Wilson on his behalf, but this was refused by Deeming.

Her text message did little to soothe MPs on Saturday who were outraged by the damage Deeming was inflicting.

“Everyone can now see Moira for who she is,” said a senior Liberal MP, who requested anonymity to speak frankly.

“The sooner she’s out of the Liberal Party and parliament the better”.

Deeming had previously successfully sued former Liberal leader John Pesutto for defamation after he sought to suspend her from the party over her attendance at a Let Women Speak rally in March, 2023, which was attended by Neo-Nazis.

In that case, the embattled MP had the financial backing of NSW property developer Hilton Grugeon.

Grugeon told this masthead on Saturday that he was not financially involved in Deeming’s latest court case.

“But whatever help Moira needs, it’s there and she knows it. I’m heartened there are people now that are happy to be helping her too,” he said.

Despite the ongoing ructions within the state Liberals, Wilson said on Saturday her team was “focused on the election this year and delivering that fresh start for Victoria”.

Be the first to know when major news happens. Sign up for breaking news alerts on email or turn on notifications in the app.