Liberal Leader Backs Down as Moira Deeming Suspended, Not Expelled

Victorian Opposition Leader Giovanni Pesutto addresses the media at the Parliament of Victoria in Melbourne in Australia, on March 27, 2023. AAP Image/Diego Fedele

Victorian Liberal Party leader John Pesutto has backed away from his move to expel Liberal MP Moira Deeming from the party, opting instead for a nine-month suspension.

The move follows Deeming’s appearance at the women’s rights rally ‘Let Women Speak’ rally on March 18 which was overtaken by a neo-Nazi protest and marred by violence by clashes between the police and trans-activists who had deemed the rally as having an anti-trans agenda.