A vote to reinstate exiled MP Moira Deeming ended in a shock draw, leaving the Victorian Liberal party room more divided than before Christmas. Opposition Leader John Pesutto used his casting vote to defeat the motion, but the narrow 15-14 vote highlighted the ongoing instability within the party.
A shell-shocked Victorian Liberal party room will break for Christmas even more fractured than before after a vote to return exiled MP Moira Deeming went down in a shock draw that shook the confidence of Opposition Leader John Pesutto ’s supporters.
Deeming on Friday said she was “deeply disappointed” with the result but declared it was only a matter of time before she received an apology from Pesutto and was reinstated into the parliamentary party after her defamation win over the Liberal leader in the Federal Court last week.She said she would continue advocating for Liberal values, and thanked the MPs and party members who have supported her. “I was elected a Liberal and remain a proud Liberal member, and I know that with their continuing support, I will get the apology that’s owed to me and that it is only a matter of time before I return to the party room,” Deeming said in a statement. “Regrettably, as has been the case from the beginning, John Pesutto’s inability to admit his mistakes speaks volumes about his character and fitness for our state’s highest office.” The party room had briefly debated whether Deeming could be reinstated to the team under a new code of conduct, but that did not progress to a vote, two sources toldMoira Deeming (centre) outside the Federal Court this month, following her win in the defamation trial.Pesutto used his casting vote to end the stalemate, meaning the push to reinstate Deeming was defeated 15-14. However, there was debate in the party room meeting whether his casting vote was needed to end the deadlock and the meaning of an “absolute majority” when two of the 30 MPs, Cindy McLeish and Nick McGowan, were away. Multiple MPs who supported the motion to return Deeming without qualification told reporters on Friday that the tight vote ensured it was not possible to repair instability despite Pesutto’s insistence the matter was ove
Victorian Liberal Party Moira Deeming John Pesutto Defamation Political Instability
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