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Amazing news! Moira Deeming isn’t a Nazi
December 12, 2024
14 Reactions
Calling people Nazis is no longer a winning a political strategy.
If Donald Trump’s return to the White House didn’t underscore this truth, then look Down Under, where embattled Victorian MP Moira Deeming has just won a “blockbuster” Federal Court case against her former party leader, John Pesutto.
Pesutto has been ordered to pay Deeming A$300,000 in damages, in addition to footing all legal costs, after Judge David O’Callaghan found that the Victorian opposition leader had defamed Ms Deeming on five occasions by falsely casting her as a Nazi sympathiser.
MEDIA STATEMENT FROM MOIRA DEEMING MP
— Moira Deeming MP (@MoiraDeemingMP) December 12, 2024
I am grateful to God for this outcome, to the Court for its careful and prompt consideration of my case and to my lawyers whose dedication, expertise and integrity is unmatched.
The Judge found that I was defamed in five separate…
A wife, mother of four, and former high school teacher, Deeming’s only crime was to attend the ironically named “Let Women Speak” rally in Melbourne in March 2023 and voice her support for female-only sports and bathrooms.
The event had been organised by British women’s rights activist and firebrand Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull, and was infamously gatecrashed by a small band of neo-Nazis who performed a grotesque salute on the steps of Parliament House.
In a naked act of political posturing, Pesutto pounced on this unfortunate occurrence and moved to expel Deeming from the party room on the pretext that “knowingly associating” with neo-Nazis threatened the Liberal Party brand.
But it was actually Pesutto who damaged the party’s brand, with Thursday’s case revealing that the Liberal leader had thrown Deeming under the proverbial bus to appease the media, the trans lobby — and most of all, then Premier and rival Daniel Andrews. As reported by The Australian:
Judge O’Callaghan said Mr Pesutto’s “perceived urgency” to publish what ended up being defamatory comments about Ms Deeming was driven more by a fear of the political damage that would be inflicted upon his “fledgling” leadership by Victoria’s then-premier Daniel Andrews, than by his professed concern that the Liberal Party and parliament would be brought into disrepute.
“By way of example only, at the 19 March meeting, Mr Pesutto referred to his ‘concern about where [Premier] Andrews is going to take it this week’ because he has ‘been itching for something to clobber me with and this is it, it’s coming,’” Judge O’Callaghan wrote.
Pesutto was eventually successful in ousting Ms Deeming from the Victorian Liberal Party, forcing her to serve in the months since as an independent MP.
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Following this week’s legal victory, however, Deeming indicated she would rejoin the party room if invited, saying she has “every right to be there”.
“If you look at the Liberal Party platform, they are good values and it’s run by volunteers and the volunteers deserve better than what happened… under their Liberal Party logo” she told reporters after the ruling was handed down.
“Not one Liberal Party value was honoured or furthered in Victoria by this relentless and remorseless campaign,” Ms Deeming also explained in a prepared statement. She continued:
I was never going to let it go unchallenged in this state and under my Liberal Party logo that innocent women rallying against the destruction of every single common sense safeguard designed to protect them and their children could be attacked and scapegoated as Nazis and bigots.
Those of us in this fight to restore parental rights, sex-based rights for women and safeguards for children, we are in every political party, we are in every workplace, every union, every family. We will never run out of energy, we will never be crushed and we are going to survive whatever it is that you want to throw at us, and then we will win.
Just hours after Pesutto lost in court, he faced cameras to declare that he plans to stay onas Victorian Liberal Leader.
The papers and the pundits don’t seem quite so certain.
In its write-up of the Deeming affair, The Australian quoted senior state Liberal MPs who described it as “an ugly day” for Pesutto and expressed major doubts over the viability of his leadership going forward.
If Pesutto is challenged, among the most likely alternate leaders are frontbenchers Brad Battin, James Newbury and Sam Groth.
That said, Moira Deeming wouldn’t do a bad job herself.
What are your thoughts about smearing people as Nazis?
Kurt Mahlburg is a writer and author, and an emerging Australian voice on culture and the Christian faith. He has a passion for both the philosophical and the personal, drawing on his background as a graduate architect, a primary school teacher, a missionary, and a young adult pastor.
Image credit: cartoon by Brian Doyle
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John Joseph commented 2024-12-14 17:35:17 +1100John Pesutto kicked a whopping own goal. His judgement was simply appalling. Moirta should be re-admitted to the Liberal Party and Pesutto should step down as opposition leader.
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Anon Emouse commented 2024-12-14 15:32:21 +1100Peter,
You said “Moira Deeming is right!” in response to my comment…how was I supposed to take that? (Also, I believe you mean implications, not inferences) :) -
Peter Faehrmann commented 2024-12-14 15:19:22 +1100Well Anon Emouse, you certainly are putting words in my mouth. I made no inferences about those you mention. Of course, I respect everyone for their basic humanity. My point is that the for the great majority (i.e. the punters), these issues are a non- event. Even so, if 3 to 4% of the population want to be defined by their sexuality, let them do so. But don’t assume that this equates to some seismic event for everyone else.
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Rob McKilliam commented 2024-12-14 15:04:11 +1100Common sense and reality might finally be taking hold in Victoria. My fingers are crossed.
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mrscracker commented 2024-12-14 04:19:31 +1100I’m not up to date on Victoria’s politics but I’m glad this lady received justice if she was being defamed.
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Anon Emouse commented 2024-12-13 23:36:06 +1100Peter,
You, too, feel that LGBTQ safe schools are akin to paedophilia? Wow. I’d say more than that, but I fear Michael might delete my comment if I were to say my true feelings about your homophobic attitudes. -
Peter Faehrmann commented 2024-12-13 23:12:32 +1100Moira Deeming is right! Like John Pessuto, soon to be ex-Parliamentary Leader of the Victorian Liberal Party, Anon Emouse you should listen to the punters.
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Peter Faehrmann commented 2024-12-13 23:06:55 +1100Moira Deeming is right. Like John Pessuto, soon to be ex Parliamentary Leader of the Victorian Liberal Party, Anon Emouse you should listen to the punters.
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Anon Emouse commented 2024-12-13 09:27:31 +1100No wonder Kurt is so fond of Moira, she is:
-against trans people accessing bathrooms that match their gender identity
-against abortion
-equates safe schools for LGBTQ people with paedophilia
Sounds like a real winner.
Janet – why does Kurt bring up Trump in sentence 2? -
Janet Grevillea commented 2024-12-13 09:14:47 +1100AnonMouse I am not sure if you know what the article is about. It is about a defamation case in which Moira Deeming Member of the Legislative Council of the State of Victoria, Australia sued John Pesutto, the Premier of Victoria for repeatedly accusing her of being associated with Nazis. John Pesutto had succeeded in expelling Moira Deeming from the Liberal Party, and she now sits in parliament as an Independent. Moira deeming won the case.
John Pesutto had also been sued for defamation for accusing Kellie-Jay Keen and Angie Jones of being associated with Nazis. He settled with those two, paid each an undisclosed amount of money, and withdrew his accusations against them, even though he repeated them during the Deeming court case. -
Janet Grevillea commented 2024-12-13 09:14:08 +1100
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Anon Emouse commented 2024-12-13 08:18:04 +1100No, but calling people “fascist” “communist” and any other name under the sun is a winning strategy (like Trump called Kamala). Your logic kind of goes out the window there…not that you care.
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Janet Grevillea commented 2024-12-12 20:02:28 +1100The insults and slurs directed at women who stand for women’s rights, including Moira Deeming, Angie Jones and Kellie-Jay Keen are appalling. The three women suffered all sorts of threats, including death threats against themselves and their families. This judicial outcome is good for all women. Let’s hope other politicians watch their words in future. I notice that the ABC, which continues to support all things queer, is reporting that the Nazi demonstrators interrupted an “anti-trans” rally. It was a “women’s rights” rally called “Let Women Speak”.
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