Breaking: Moira Deeming ousted as Liberal candidate after apology stand-off

Moira Deeming ousted as Liberal candidate after apology stand-off Fri 17 Jul 2026 at 5:46pm In short: Moira Deeming's Liberal candidacy has been revoked by the party's Victorian state executive after the upper house MP refused to apologise over allegations she made against her parliamentary colleague. Mrs Deeming is separately facing possible bankruptcy proceedings, which could force her removal from parliament. What's next? Mrs Deeming remains a member of the Liberal Party and an MP in the parliamentary team after Friday night's vote, which confirms she will lose her position at the November election. Moira Deeming's political career as a Liberal is over after the party's state executive voted to revoke the MP's candidacy for the November state election. The Liberal Party disendorsed Mrs Deeming on Friday night in an emphatic vote against her. She had alleged her partyroom colleague Matthew Guy had assaulted her at a community event in May. Police reviewed CCTV of the interaction and said no offence was detected. Mrs Deeming refused to apologise, saying she had made the allegation in good faith. The party had attempted to move against her a fortnight ago, but Mrs Deeming sought an injunction in the Supreme Court — action she withdrew this week. The Liberals united behind Mr Guy and were unmoved by her mediation attempts. Mrs Deeming remains a member of the Liberal Party and an MP in the parliamentary team after Friday night's vote, which confirms she will lose her position at the November election. Three-quarters of the state executive, which includes Opposition Leader Jess Wilson, needed to agree to disendorse her. Mr Guy has always maintained his innocence and demanded an apology, which was backed in by Ms Wilson. Vision of the May interaction appeared to show Mr Guy placing his hand on Mrs Deeming's back during a conversation at the crowded function. In a 12-page statement to the state executive earlier this week, Mrs Deeming continued to allege she was "grabbed, held and pulled with force" by Mr Guy, which she said caused "pain and distress". She said removing her for making a complaint would set a bad precedent. Mrs Deeming is yet to comment on Friday's decision. Deeming flags possible bankruptcy Mrs Deeming has separately flagged the possibility of facing bankruptcy, the ABC revealed on Thursday. Writing to the Liberal state executive, Mrs Deeming wrote she was "facing bankruptcy over $1.55 million in legal costs that a former Liberal leader was ordered by the Federal Court to pay me". A declaration of bankruptcy would force her removal from parliament. NSW businessman Hilton Grugeon is seeking to be repaid for funding Mrs Deeming's successful defamation action against former opposition leader John Pesutto earlier this term. Mrs Deeming has been unable to repay Mr Grugeon while a Liberal Party loan to Mr Pesutto, who was ordered to pay her legal costs, remains before the courts. "I'm hoping out of all this she will never be involved in the Victorian Liberal Party again, for both her sake and her family's," Mr Grugeon said in a statement to the ABC. The Liberal Party last year agreed to loan Mr Pesutto $1.55 million to ensure he could pay her fees, sparing Mr Pesutto from bankruptcy and a by-election in his marginal seat. But a breakaway group of current and former members of the party's state executive have challenged the loan in the Supreme Court. The party's loan to Mr Pesutto is sitting in a trust account, held by Mrs Deeming's lawyers, while that case remains before the courts. Mr Grugeon said he hoped Mrs Deeming was disendorsed because he believed the party had treated her poorly, and that his actions should not be interpreted as hostility against her. He said his loan to Mrs Deeming had been bogged down by Victorian Liberal infighting, and, if his action results in her bankruptcy, "it would at least help her to get clear of everything that's led her to this position". Mr Grugeon claimed this could result in Mr Pesutto's donors being liable immediately. Loading