Ousted Liberal MP Moira Deeming could have “worked out” she was “walking into a disaster” before she attended and spoke at a 2023 “Let Women Speak” rally that was gatecrashed by neo-Nazis, the federal court has heard.
Deeming, now an independent MP after her expulsion from the party, is suing the Victorian Liberal party leader, John Pesutto, for allegedly falsely portraying her as a Nazi sympathiser after she spoke at the rally held on 18 March 2023. Pesutto has rejected the allegation.
Pesutto began testifying case on Tuesday afternoon, as he faced cross-examination by Deeming’s barrister, Sue Chrystanthou SC.
Earlier, the court heard that Deeming’s legal team had dropped three of the imputations referred to in her statement of claim, including the claim that Pesutto defamed her by implying she was a white supremacist.
In his opening remarks on Tuesday, the state opposition leader’s barrister, Matthew Collins KC, said Deeming could have “worked out she was walking into a disaster” before she attended and spoke at the rally.
The federal court last week was shown evidence that a member of the far-right group Proud Boys had previously attended and spoken at a Let Women Speak rally in the United States alongside UK gender-critical activist Kellie-Jay Keen, who co-organised the Melbourne event.
“An online search of Mrs Keen’s name would have revealed she is a polarising figure and has been associated with a number of disturbing people,” Collins told the court on Tuesday.
Collins also showed the court numerous tweets on the day of the rally, and the day after, calling for the Liberal party to take action against Deeming for attending the event.
“None of it had anything to do with Mr Pesutto,” he said.
This was before Pesutto issued a press release the day after the rally – 19 March 2023 – signalling his intention to expel her from the party, Collins said.
The court was also shown text messages between Guy, who served as opposition leader until after the party’s loss at the 2022 election, Pesutto, and David Southwick, the party’s deputy leader, on the evening of 18 March 2023.
“Just letting you know that if you want an expulsion moved in [sic] Deeming and no one else will do it, I will” Guy texted Southwick and Pesutto at about 9.15pm.
Guy said the pair had “this solution in your back pocket if you want it.”
Deeming was initially suspended from the party’s parliamentary team in the days after the rally before later being expelled. The motion was moved by Pesutto.
Last week, the court heard a secretly recorded meeting between Deming and members of the Liberal party’s leadership team, held the day after the rally.
In the recording played to court, Deeming is heard telling Pesutto and his colleagues she is “obviously not a Nazi”.
Pesutto is heard telling Deeming her attendance at the rally would be “toxic” for the Victorian Liberal party as they tried to win the 2026 election.
The Let Women Speak rally was co-organised by Keen, also known as Posie Parker, as part of her tour of Australia and New Zealand in which it was claimed that the push for transgender women’s rights was silencing and discriminating against women.
Deeming has alleged that Pesutto defamed her in media releases, press conferences and interviews he gave after the rally.
In his defence document, Pesutto argued that he “repeatedly and unequivocally acknowledged publicly that he does not believe Deeming to be a neo-Nazi, a white supremacist, or anything of similar substance or effect”.
He admitted to conveying some imputations, including that Deeming associated with speakers at the event who had “known links with neo-Nazis and white supremacists”.
In court documents, Pesutto said he would rely on the defences of honest opinion, contextual truth, public interest and qualified privilege.
The defamation trial, which began last week, is expected to run for three weeks.
