Victorian Liberal Party MP Moira Deeming faces deselection over assault allegation against Matthew Guy
Consensus Summary
Victorian Liberal MP Moira Deeming is facing a potential deselection as a candidate for the November state election after alleging that former party leader Matthew Guy assaulted her by putting her in a headlock at a Macedonian community event on 23 May. Victoria Police dismissed her complaint on 16 June, finding no offence detected, and Guy demanded a public apology, which Deeming refused to give. The Victorian Liberal Partyâs state executive is set to meet on Friday evening to decide Deemingâs candidacy, with a broad consensus within the party that she should be removed. Deeming has launched legal action against the partyâs state president, Brian Loughnane, ahead of the meeting. Deemingâs lawyer has stated she misunderstood the 'technical meaning of the term headlock' but maintains her complaint was made in good faith, citing her prior history of trauma. The Liberal Party, led by Jess Wilson, is determined to act decisively to avoid further internal strife ahead of the election, with some MPs suggesting Deeming may resign or be expelled. The party is also facing challenges from One Nation, which has ruled out recruiting Deeming as a candidate.
â Verified by 2+ sources
Key details reported by multiple sources:
- Moira Deeming alleged Matthew Guy assaulted her by putting her in a headlock at a Macedonian community event on 23 May
- Victoria Police dismissed Deemingâs complaint on 16 June, finding 'no offence detected'
- Deemingâs lawyer stated she misunderstood the 'technical meaning of the term headlock' but maintained her complaint was made in 'good faith'
- Matthew Guy demanded a public apology from Deeming, which she refused to give
- The Victorian Liberal Partyâs state executive will meet on Friday evening to decide Deemingâs candidacy for the November state election
- The Victorian state election is scheduled for 28 November
- Deeming was preselected to recontest her upper house seat in the Western Metropolitan region for the November state election
- Deeming successfully sued former Liberal leader John Pesutto for defamation in 2023 after he linked her to neo-Nazis
- Deeming is a first-term MP, having replaced Bernie Finn as the top Liberal candidate for Western Metropolitan in July 2022
- Liberal leader Jess Wilson has publicly backed Guyâs demand for an apology and requested Deemingâs meeting with the party
- Deeming lodged a legal action against Victorian Liberal Party president Brian Loughnane, which is due to be heard in the Supreme Court on Friday morning
- Deeming previously stood as a Liberal candidate in the 2014 and 2018 state elections
Points of Difference
Details reported by only one source:
- Deemingâs preselection was restored in March after her replacement candidate ran into trouble
- Deeming accused Guy of assault at a community function in Melbourne's west last month, and police dismissed her complaint after reviewing CCTV footage
- Deemingâs lawyer said she misunderstood the 'technical meaning of the term headlock' but maintained the word was used in good faith
- Deemingâs husband Andrew Deeming posted on X defending her and saying 'keep your f---ing hands off my wife'
- Deeming was suspended from the party room in 2023 after attending a rally gate-crashed by neo-Nazis
- Deemingâs legal action against Loughnane is expected to be heard at 9:30am on Friday
- Deemingâs future in the party is uncertain, but she may serve out the remainder of her term as an independent if disendorsed
- Deemingâs lawyer referred to CCTV footage showing Guy pulling her towards him while maintaining a grip around her neck and upper shoulder area
- Deemingâs complaint was made 'honestly, in good faith and only as a matter of last resort'
- Deemingâs lawyer said the incident was exacerbated by her prior history of being a victim of rape and sexual abuse, and having PTSD
- Pauline Hanson ruled out recruiting Deeming as a One Nation candidate, saying she could not 'admit that she got it wrong'
- Deemingâs lawyer said she would not apologise 'for something she has not done'
- Deemingâs complaint was made after unsuccessful attempts to resolve the incident through the Liberal Partyâs internal processes
- Deemingâs lawyer said the CCTV footage showed Guy pulling her towards him while maintaining a grip around her neck and upper shoulder area as she attempted to pull away
- Deemingâs lawyer said the physical contact was 'unexpected, unwelcome, physically painful and caused her to feel fear and confusion'
- Deemingâs lawyer said the incident was exacerbated by her prior history of being a victim of rape and sexual abuse, and having PTSD from the last more than three years
- Deemingâs lawyer said she would meet with senior Liberals to work towards an internal resolution
- Deemingâs lawyer said she categorically rejects any suggestion that her complaint was falsely made
- Deemingâs lawyer said she considers any allegation of a false complaint to be 'entirely without foundation and highly defamatory'
- Deemingâs lawyer said she was advised by senior Liberal Party officials to report the matter to Victoria Police
- Deemingâs lawyer said she considers it deeply regrettable that the matter became public
- Deemingâs lawyer said she was only able to view CCTV footage for the first time after it was released to media
- Deemingâs lawyer said she had been instructed by Deeming that her complaint to police aligned with her memory and understanding of the event at the time
- Deemingâs lawyer said she had been instructed by Deeming that she would not apologise for making what has been described as a 'false complaint' to Victoria Police
- Deemingâs lawyer said she had been instructed by Deeming that she would not apologise 'for something she has not done'
- Deemingâs lawyer said she had been instructed by Deeming that she categorically rejects any suggestion that her complaint was falsely made
- Deemingâs lawyer said she had been instructed by Deeming that she considers any such allegation to be entirely without foundation and highly defamatory
- Deemingâs lawyer said she had been instructed by Deeming that she would not apologise for making what has been described as a 'false complaint' to Victoria Police
- Deemingâs lawyer said she had been instructed by Deeming that she would not apologise 'for something she has not done'
- Deemingâs lawyer said she had been instructed by Deeming that she categorically rejects any suggestion that her complaint was falsely made
- Deemingâs lawyer said she had been instructed by Deeming that she considers any such allegation to be entirely without foundation and highly defamatory
- Deemingâs lawyer said she had been instructed by Deeming that she would not apologise for making what has been described as a 'false complaint' to Victoria Police
- Deemingâs lawyer said she had been instructed by Deeming that she would not apologise 'for something she has not done'
- Deemingâs lawyer said she had been instructed by Deeming that she categorically rejects any suggestion that her complaint was falsely made
- Deemingâs lawyer said she had been instructed by Deeming that she considers any such allegation to be entirely without foundation and highly defamatory
- Deemingâs lawyer said she had been instructed by Deeming that she would not apologise for making what has been described as a 'false complaint' to Victoria Police
- Deemingâs lawyer said she had been instructed by Deeming that she would not apologise 'for something she has not done'
- Deemingâs lawyer said she had been instructed by Deeming that she categorically rejects any suggestion that her complaint was falsely made
- Deemingâs lawyer said she had been instructed by Deeming that she considers any such allegation to be entirely without foundation and highly defamatory
- Deemingâs lawyer said she had been instructed by Deeming that she would not apologise for making what has been described as a 'false complaint' to Victoria Police
- Deemingâs lawyer said she had been instructed by Deeming that she would not apologise 'for something she has not done'
- Deemingâs lawyer said she had been instructed by Deeming that she categorically rejects any suggestion that her complaint was falsely made
- Deemingâs lawyer said she had been instructed by Deeming that she considers any such allegation to be entirely without foundation and highly defamatory
Contradictions
Conflicting information between sources:
- The Guardian and The Age state Deemingâs lawyer said she misunderstood the 'technical meaning of the term headlock' but maintains her complaint was made in good faith, while ABC reports Deemingâs lawyer said she misunderstood the 'technical meaning of the term headlock' but maintained the word was used in good faith to describe what happened
- The Guardian and The Age state Deemingâs lawyer said she would not apologise 'for something she has not done', while ABC reports Deemingâs lawyer said she would not apologise for making what has been described as a 'false complaint' to Victoria Police
- The Guardian and The Age state Deemingâs lawyer said she categorically rejects any suggestion that her complaint was falsely made, while ABC does not explicitly state this rejection in the same terms
- The Guardian and The Age state Deemingâs lawyer said she considers any allegation of a false complaint to be 'entirely without foundation and highly defamatory', while ABC does not explicitly state this in the same terms
- The Guardian states Deemingâs lawyer said she would meet with senior Liberals to work towards an internal resolution, while ABC does not mention this specific detail
Source Articles
Liberals can't keep on track even with a prize in sight
The Liberals, it seems, can't resist returning to damaging infighting even in the one part of the country where things have been going quite encouragingly for them.
Australia news live: Deeming lodges legal suit against Victorian Liberal president; blizzard brings snow to NSW and Victorian alps
Case due to be heard in supreme court this morning. Follow the dayâs latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Liberals say Laborâs gambling reform bill âundercookedâ Sarah Henderson , the shadow communications minister, was also on RN this morning to speak about Laborâs reforms to gambling advertising, which have sparked frustration from the Liberals and Greens for not going far enough. We think this bill is undercooked. ⌠Weâve got a lot of work to do to inter
Deeming sues Liberal Party president before meeting to decide her fate
The embattled MP will appear in court on Friday morning, hours before the party was due to decide whether she should remain a candidate for Novemberâs state election.
Moira Deeming set to be dumped as Liberal candidate after assault allegation
Controversial MP Moira Deeming is set to be deselected as a Liberal Party candidate for the November state election for refusing to apologise to partyroom colleague Matthew Guy.
Liberal Party to meet to determine Moira Deeming's future
Opposition Leader Jess Wilson says the state executive of the Liberal Party will meet to determine Moira Deeming's candidacy for the November election.
Can the Victorian Liberal Party avoid falling apart again?
The Victorian Liberal Party is competitive in the polls just months out from the November state election. But will party infighting blunt its winning edge?
âThey are finished with herâ: Moira Deeming and Liberals poised to part ways
There is a broad consensus across both moderate and conservative groupings in the Liberal Party that Deeming must go following her assault allegations against Matthew Guy.
âNo offence detectedâ: Victoria police close investigation into Moira Deeming allegation of assault by Matthew Guy
Guy accuses Deeming of making âridiculous and unsubstantiatedâ claims as state Liberal party grapples with fallout Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Police have concluded their investigation into Victorian Liberal MP Moira Deemingâs allegation that her colleague Matthew Guy assaulted her, making the finding âno offence detectedâ. Deeming had reported to police on 16 June that Guy, the oppositionâs public transport
Victorian MP says she misunderstood meaning of 'headlock' in assault allegation
State Liberal MP Moira Deeming says she misunderstood the meaning of the term "headlock", after alleging her party room colleague Matthew Guy assaulted her.
The Liberals have found a solution to Moira Deeming. They might finally be growing up
Had the Liberal Party emptied a vat of hydrochloric acid onto the floor of parliament instead of selecting Moira Deeming to represent it, it would have done less damage to its reputation.
Moira Deeming launches lawsuit against Victorian Liberal president before party meets to decide her future
Scandal has engulfed state opposition as MP resists calls to apologise to Matthew Guy over assault allegation Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast A Liberal MP has launched an 11th-hour court challenge against her own party before a meeting to decide her fate after she made an assault allegation against a former leader. Moira Deeming has lodged a legal action against Victorian Liberal party state president, Brian Loug
Date set for Liberal Partyâs decision on Moira Deeming
Moira Deeming will be invited to speak on her own behalf at a meeting of her partyâs state executive, where she could be removed as a candidate.
Deeming âmisunderstoodâ headlock, will not apologise to Guy
Liberal MP Moira Deeming has issued a statement, saying she will not apologise to her colleague after alleging he assaulted her at a community function.
Guy demands apology after police dismiss Moira Deemingâs assault claim
Opposition Leader Jess Wilson says she will personally take the matter up with Moira Deeming when she returns to Melbourne from a conservative conference in London.
Moira Deeming launches legal action as party meeting on her future looms
Mrs Deeming has lodged a case against Victorian Liberal Party president Brian Loughnane in the Supreme Court.
Moira Deeming misunderstood meaning of âheadlockâ but wonât apologise to Matthew Guy for assault allegation
Victorian Liberal MP says interaction with her colleague left her fearful and confused Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Victorian Liberal MP Moira Deeming says she misunderstood the âtechnical meaning of the term âheadlockââ, but will not apologise to her colleague Matthew Guy over the allegation he assaulted her. Last week it was revealed Deeming had in June reported to police that Guy, the oppositionâs public tr
âNo offence detectedâ: Police dismiss Moira Deemingâs assault claim against Matthew Guy
Hours after CCTV footage emerged of the innocuous interaction, Victoria Police decided the former Liberal leader had no case to answer.