PETITION: Pesutto Must Go

3,922 signatures

Goal: 5,000 signatures

Sign this petition to demand John Pesutto's resignation as Leader of the Victorian Opposition.

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A special Liberal Party meeting to discuss whether Moira Deeming should be reinstated as a party member has failed to secure a majority vote, effectively ending the discussion. The meeting, held on Friday morning, resulted in a 14-14 split, with Liberal leader John Pesutto casting the deciding vote to oppose her return.

Putting on his best spin for the media, Pesutto claimed the meeting as a “long and very civil discussion” and stated that the vote “concludes the matter” regarding Deeming’s parliamentary membership. The vote comes shortly after Pesutto lost a defamation case against Deeming, who successfully sued him for implying she had Nazi sympathies after attending a controversial rally in 2023.

🚨 John Pesutto casts DECIDING VOTE to keep Moira Deeming out

That means the guy who defamed her and used those same now-proven in-court blatant lies to oust her, got another stab at his victim

You cannot make this stuff up

SIGN the petition: https://t.co/dutjhdDDXN pic.twitter.com/DPISuzW3qM

— Avi Yemini (@OzraeliAvi) December 20, 2024

Bill Tilley, who helped initiate the meeting, called the result “disappointing” but remained hopeful, stating, “I’m an eternal optimist. Let’s see what happens over Christmas.” He added that there was no discussion of leadership issues during the meeting.

Senior frontbencher Richard Riordan, who pushed for the meeting, expressed disbelief at the outcome, telling the media, “We’re in a worse position than we were to start with. It’s an interesting outcome.” Meanwhile, Kim Wells labelled the result “extraordinary,” and Deeming’s ally, Renee Heath, said she needed time to process the decision.

Chris Crewther, another MP supporting Deeming, said it was “a lost opportunity to do the right thing,” adding, “I think the wrong decision was made today.” Bev McArthur, also critical of Pesutto, agreed, saying, “We failed because the leader cast his vote against bringing Moira back.”

Today's vote by the Victorian Liberal Party room against readmitting Moira Deeming, after the court found she was defamed and unfairly smeared by John Pesutto, illustrates not only the pettiness of Pesutto but that of the Victorian Liberal Party in general. Everything Deeming did…

— Rukshan Fernando (@therealrukshan) December 19, 2024

David Hodgett, another senior Liberal, expressed concerns about the process, stating, “There’s still a number of legitimate questions to be answered... I don’t think they’ve gone about it the right way.”

The motion to reinstate Deeming was brought forward after five MPs called for the special meeting, following party rules that require five signatures to initiate such a vote. While some viewed the meeting as a test of Pesutto’s leadership, others insisted it was solely about Deeming’s potential return to the party.

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