Moira Deeming’s announcement that she intends to engage in legal action and lodge a defamation case against John Pesutto, Leader of the Victorian Liberal Party, is extremely disappointing. Not because of the road Ms Deeming has been forced to walk, but rather that the party leadership in Victoria cannot bring itself to apologise and retract the disgraceful comments made following the Let Women Speak rally.

Media Statement regarding my legal action against Mr John Pesutto pic.twitter.com/M7icjq15tH

— Moira Deeming MP (@MoiraDeemingMP) November 19, 2023

Today we have politicians in state and federal Parliament – in the Upper and Lower Houses – brushing shoulders with terrorist sympathisers and crowds that routinely refer to themselves as ‘the New Nazis’. These are individuals who shout thinly-veiled threats of genocide against the Jewish people and the nation of Israel, and who hold signs that make the handful of cosplaying neo-Nazis at the women’s rally look like toddlers.

Let us not forget that those MPs standing with these pro-Palestinian protesters (who are undeniably also pro-Hamas – a globally designated Islamic terror group), are aware of what is being chanted in the streets of Australia, including ‘Gas the Jews!’ shouted on the steps of the Opera House for the whole world to hear.

Why do these MPs escape public shame? Why are they allowed to hide behind the meaningless banner of ‘it’s complicated’ while Ms Deeming remains unable to clear her name from a gate-crashing incident that had nothing to do with her, the Let Women Speak rally, or any of the women attending?

What happened to the left-wing mob that marched on the street in support of women in Canberra – why aren’t they marching for Ms Deeming?

Those left-wing feminists are too busy standing in solidarity with those whose heroes engaged in the mass rape, torture, and murder of Israeli women whose lives don’t count.

We expect the feminists and the left-wing mobs to lack moral integrity … but shame on the Victorian Liberals, and Mr Pesutto personally, for carrying on with this piece of political theatre against Ms Deeming.

This is a Liberal Party that desperately needs rescuing from its sopping wet LINO agenda that has left it as little more than Labor’s doormat where they clean their shoes on the way to the halls of power.

If Mr Pesutto was not unelectable before, he will now enter a new era of ridicule and infamy fighting for – what, exactly? What does the Liberal Party have to gain from this? Even if they were to win? A victory against Ms Deeming would be a victory for Labor. No conservative would vote for a party that strings up its conservative women for no reason at all.

It’s astonishing that such a tragic script could be taking place in the post-#MeToo world where Labor spent an entire election cycle arguing that the Liberals had a ‘women problem’. Mr Pesutto’s Victorian Liberals have a ‘women problem’. They also have a sanity problem.

Missing the point, Mr Pesutto said: ‘The issue has always been whether Ms Deeming called out or distanced herself from neo-Nazi protesters and references when asked to do so by senior Liberals. I will vigorously defend the Liberal Party and myself in any proceedings and will not be asking the party to cover any legal fees.’