Victorian MP Moira Deeming apologises to constituents amid court battle to keep Liberal candidacy
Liberal MP Moira Deeming has apologized to Victorians for her long-running conflict with her party, admitting the saga has become a distraction as she fights to stay on the ballot in November’s state election.
The embattled MP made the remarks in a social media video after winning a temporary Supreme Court stay that halted his party’s attempt to exclude him from preselection.
Ms Deeming was facing a vote last Friday on whether to remain as the Liberal Party’s provincial government candidate.
The move comes after Victoria Police refused to apologize to former opposition leader Matthew Guy after he denied an allegation that he had put him in a bind.
Instead, Ms Deeming brought a High Court action against her own party and secured a two-week stay.
A one-day hearing will be held later this month to examine his claim that the planned move against him violates procedural fairness despite the party inviting him to address the state government.
In a video released on Monday, Ms Deeming thanked her supporters and acknowledged the impact of the dispute on her constituents and the wider public.
“I hope you know you can still trust me,” said Ms. Deeming.
“I think it’s time to address the fact that there are too many distractions, too many major distractions that are preventing you, my constituents and Victorians, from doing the work that really needs to be done.
“I’m really, really sorry that all of this has happened over the last three and a half years.”
The crackdown intensified after Victoria Police reviewed security footage of a crowded Macedonian community event in Sunshine on 23 May.
The footage is said to show Mr Guy placing his hand on Ms Deeming’s shoulder during a conversation, rather than tying her around her neck as she claimed.
Current Opposition Leader Jess Wilson backed Mr Guy’s demand for an apology.
In her video, Ms. Deeming described this difficult process as exhausting and said she was trying to move forward.
“It’s been an emotional, confusing and exhausting few years,” he said.
“The truth is, things go wrong in life and you have to pick yourself up and keep moving forward. That’s what I want to do.”
In a statement made through his lawyer last week, he said that he misunderstood the meaning of the word “distortion”.
However, he stated that he would not apologize for making a false claim because he believed it was made in good faith.
