In short:
Moira Deeming has joined Family First and will lead the party’s Western Metropolitan Region ticket at Victoria’s November state election. Deeming says she is running to retain her upper house seat and strengthen Family First’s presence in the Victorian Parliament.
Seeking A Second Term In Parliament
Moira Deeming has joined Family First and will recontest her seat in this November’s state election.
Deeming will serve as the party’s lead candidate for the Western Metropolitan Region, having quit the Liberal Party six weeks ago.
Declaring herself a long-time admirer of Family First’s consistency, Deeming admitted the contest would be harder with a minor party.
“The west needs a local member who lives alongside them, and will fight for our rights as parents, and women, and men who our society desperately needs,” she said.
“Other politicians and the media have tried to end my political career through my first term in Parliament. I won’t turn my back on the west. I won’t leave children vulnerable.
“It’s not going to be an easy battle, but there are five seats up for grabs. One Nation, Labor, Liberal and the Greens seem almost guaranteed the first four, and I’ll be doing everything I can to stop the fifth seat going to a party or candidate who will vote against parental rights, child safeguards and biological truth.”
Will Attempt To Rebound After Challenging Year
Deeming’s decision to pull the plug on her turbulent tenure with the Liberals came after several separate controversies resulted in her being disendorsed as the party’s lead upper house candidate twice in four months.
The latest decision followed weeks of internal turmoil after Deeming filed a police report alleging former opposition leader Matthew Guy assaulted her at a Sunshine community event.
Victoria Police later closed its investigation, finding “no offence detected.”
In March, party members initially preselected Dinesh Gourisetty ahead of Deeming, before controversy emerged over a character reference he provided for a man later convicted of child sexual offences, resulting in Deeming being restored to the top of the ticket.
Then in August, the Liberals settled on Melbourne Deputy Lord Mayor Roshena Campbell as Deeming’s replacement at the top of the ticket.
Deeming had previously been expelled from the parliamentary Liberal Party in 2023 before being readmitted in 2024 after winning a defamation case against former opposition leader John Pesutto.
