Lol - what a circus !Deeming’s bid for guaranteed preselection draws Kennett’s scorn
By Alexander Darling
June 12, 2025 — 11.13amVictorian Liberal MP Moira Deeming’s controversial proposal to delay bankruptcy proceedings against former party leader John Pesutto – in return for a deal to secure her political future – has sparked an outcry and a complaint to the corruption watchdog from a member of the public.
Deeming’s last-minute proposal came after she served Pesutto with a bankruptcy notice on Friday for the legal fees associated with her successful defamation case against the Hawthorn MP.
Moira Deeming after being readmitted to the Liberal party room on December 27.Credit: Luis Enrique Ascui
It’s a tense situation for the Liberal Party; if Pesutto is made bankrupt, he can no longer sit in parliament and the party would face a byelection in a marginal seat.
Here’s what else we know as of this morning.
What was Deeming’s offer?
In a letter to Pesutto, Opposition Leader Brad Battin and Victorian Liberal president Phil Davis, Deeming said she was “dismayed” that the state party was considering an approach from Pesutto to help him meet his financial obligations to her.
Her demands included Pesutto paying the roughly $760,000 he has raised and deferring the remainder of his debt until March 30, 2027.
Deeming’s letter also requested an endorsement for preselection for her upper house seat in the 2026 state election, so she could “enjoy the right to serve my community without any internal distractions which is something denied me to date”.
