Victorian Liberal Party preselection battle for Western Metropolitan Region upper house spot
Consensus Summary
Moira Deeming won the top spot on the Victorian Liberal Party’s upper house ticket for the Western Metropolitan Region after a chaotic preselection battle. Initially, Dinesh Gourisetty was selected for the position but was disqualified due to providing a character reference for a convicted child sex offender, forcing a re-run vote. Deeming secured the endorsement after other candidates withdrew, including Bobby Lakra, whose nomination was invalidated for missing paperwork, and Tim Beddoe, who stepped aside. The process was criticized as a ‘stitch up’ by some party members, who claimed it was designed to exclude new candidates. Deeming, previously expelled from the party in 2023 for controversies involving neo-Nazi associations and legal threats against former leader John Pesutto, was reinstated in December 2024. The Victorian Liberals aim to avoid further factional infighting ahead of the November election, with Deeming now set to lead the party’s ticket in the Western Metropolitan Region.
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Key details reported by multiple sources:
- Moira Deeming secured the top spot on the Victorian Liberal Party’s upper house ticket for the Western Metropolitan Region unopposed after other candidates withdrew
- Dinesh Gourisetty was initially selected for the top spot on Sunday, November 3, 2024, but was later deemed ineligible due to providing a character reference for a friend convicted of sexually assaulting a child
- A re-run preselection was held after Gourisetty’s disqualification, with nominations opening on Tuesday, November 5, 2024, and closing at midday Thursday, November 7, 2024
- Trung Luu remains in the number two position on the ticket after withdrawing from the re-run contest
- Bobby Lakra’s nomination was ruled invalid on Thursday afternoon due to missing required referral letters
- Tim Beddoe, Bobby Lakra, and Steve Murphy all initially nominated for the top spot in the re-run preselection
- The Victorian Liberal Party executive resolved to endorse Deeming without holding a preselection convention after candidates withdrew
- Moira Deeming was previously expelled from the Liberal Party in 2023 for attending a Let Women Speak rally gatecrashed by neo-Nazis and later threatened legal action against then-leader John Pesutto
- Moira Deeming was welcomed back into the parliamentary party in December 2024 and named the Liberal Party’s representative for Melbourne’s western suburbs
- The Victorian state election is scheduled for November 2024
Points of Difference
Details reported by only one source:
- The Victorian Liberal party executive was accused by a source close to Bobby Lakra of ‘intentionally knocking back’ his nomination due to missing referral letters
- The preselection process requires candidates to pay a $5,000 application fee, most of which goes to an external consultancy responsible for vetting
- The process includes an 18-page questionnaire designed to uncover past drug use, dating app activity, visits to brothels or strip clubs, and a national police check and credit report
- Several party members criticized the re-run preselection process as a ‘stitch up’ designed to limit new candidates, noting they were given less than an hour’s notice that nominations would reopen for just 36 hours
- The process is now under review after it failed to flag Gourisetty’s character reference
- Steve Murphy is considered an ally of Deeming and was expected to step aside after Lakra’s exclusion
- Moira Deeming was suspended from the Liberal party room after threatening legal action against then-leader John Pesutto, who was later found to have defamed her by implying she was associated with neo-Nazis and ordered to pay $2.3 million in legal costs
- The state Liberals' administrative committee agreed to lend John Pesutto $1.55 million to settle his debt to Moira Deeming and avoid bankruptcy, prompting an ongoing legal challenge from a group of breakaway Liberals
- Deeming offered to defer some of Pesutto’s legal bill in exchange for conditions, including her preselection, but the proposition was rebuffed
Contradictions
Conflicting information between sources:
- The Guardian mentions Bobby Lakra was expected to receive support from the same bloc of delegates who backed Gourisetty, but ABC does not mention this detail
- The Guardian states the party executive received less than an hour’s notice to reopen nominations for 36 hours, while ABC does not mention the timing or notice period
- The Guardian reports that Deeming has not publicly confirmed whether she will pursue preselection, but ABC does not mention this uncertainty
Source Articles
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