Victorian opposition leader moves to expel MP involved in anti-trans protest attended by neo-Nazis

Victoria’s opposition leader, John Pesutto, says he can’t see a way back to the Liberal party room for controversial MP Moira Deeming following her involvement in an anti-trans protest attended by a neo-Nazi group.

Pesutto released a statement on Sunday night announcing he had met with Deeming to inform her he would move a motion to expel her from the parliamentary Liberal party, after she attended a rally in support of British anti-transgender activist Kellie-Jay Keen, who was speaking as part of a national tour.

A group of men from the National Socialist Network gathered outside Victoria’s parliament on Saturday during the event and were photographed performing the Nazi salute several times.

Pesutto described Deeming’s position as “untenable” following her “involvement in … promoting and participating in a rally with speakers and other organisers who themselves have been publicly associated with far rightwing extremist groups including neo-Nazi activists”.

Earlier this month, Deeming promoted the rally in a speech to parliament and encouraged the minister for women to attend.

At a press conference on Monday morning, Pesutto said expelling Deeming was a “necessary step” to ensure the Liberal party was an “effective opposition” and “ready to govern” come the 2026 state election.

“There wasn’t really any alternative but to do this, the reason being any question of an association, even indirectly, with Nazis, white supremacists, eco-fascists or whatever else is so odious in 2023 – as it should be – that I can’t see a way back,” he said.

“Under my leadership, we will never have anything to do with it, and more to the point, we will oppose it wherever we see it.”

Pesutto said Deeming escorted Keen through the parliament premises to the protest, attended the rally and did not leave when the neo-Nazi group arrived.

“Thirdly, having seen the ugly scenes and having had an opportunity to disown and dissociate from those very people, Ms Deeming chose to celebrate, as evidenced on social media,” he said.

“Now, as a responsible leader for a major political party that wants to govern for all Victorians in 2026, and in the meantime be an effective, mature, responsible opposition, that can’t [be] and is not acceptable. We are a party for all Victorians.”

Pesutto said it took his team about 20 minutes to investigate the organisers’ links to extremist groups, so he “can’t be satisfied” Deeming didn’t know about their associations.

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Deeming was contacted for comment but said she had been advised not to make public comments before the vote on her expulsion.

Following Saturday’s protest, she tweeted: “Disappointed with @VictoriaPolice, who let a bunch of masked men into the LWS buffer zone, terrifying women who were just trying to speak about their rights.”

Pesutto said the vote to expel Deeming would likely occur early next week, given party rules stipulate she must be provided with five days’ notice.

He said he was confident the majority of the party room would back the motion.

But it will be the first test for Pesutto, who won the leadership of the Victorian Liberals in December by a single vote following a crushing state election loss.

The party’s previous leader, Matthew Guy, defended Deeming’s preselection in July last year, describing her attacks on transgender rights as “in the past”.

She was selected to replace outspoken Victorian upper house MP Bernie Finn ahead of the November state election. Finn was booted from the parliamentary Liberal party after he called for abortion to be banned, even for rape survivors.

Since being elected, Pesutto has signalled his intention to bring the party back to the centre, after years of internal division between its socially liberal and conservative members.

A group of conservative Liberal party members on Sunday threatened to quit the party if Deeming is expelled and wrote to other members urging them to write to their local MP to oppose the motion.

A source close to Pesutto described the group as a “small but vocal minority”, with most members supportive of the decision.

This story was corrected on Monday, March 20 2023. The group involved in the protest at parliament house was from the National Socialist Network, not the National Socialist Movement, which is a separate and unrelated group.