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Moira Deeming can now be heard in an audio recording of the March 19, 2023 hearing, defending herself.
“I'm obviously not a Nazi. And I don't support the Nazis. They only came in black, as far as I could tell, they were more to the left… everyone thought they were the same people who had crossed the line,” Deeming said.
Moira Deeming (left) and her lawyer Sue Chrisantou arrive at Federal Court on Tuesday.Credit: With Chronis/AAP
She said she first realized the men in black were Nazis when they saluted as they were led away by police.
“I thought, 'Oh my God, there are Nazis here, it's terrible, but at least the police are taking them away.'
“That's it. How was I supposed to know they were Nazis?
“I don't know why I'm being blamed for the appearance of some terrible people.”
In the audio recording, Dieming said that everyone had condemned the Nazis and that her presence at the rally had not yet been covered by the mainstream media. She said this was because she had already threatened to defame them because of previous coverage of her activities.
Pesutto reiterated that this was not about her substantive views on women's spaces, but about her connections to the Nazis.
“Are you accusing me of having real connections with the Nazis?” Deeming replied.
She said the police's job was to fight Nazis on the steps of parliament.
John Pesutto said in an audio recording of the meeting that it was not about Moira Deeming's personal views.
“There is a very disturbing perception that we are connected to the Nazis,” Pesutto said.
In the recording, Pesutto expressed his desire to win the 2026 state election. He said he did not know when the Nazis arrived at the rally, whether Deeming left, or what she did when the Nazis arrived.
“I would be interested to know what happened there, but for us it is very serious,” Pesutto said.
“I really want to hear from you on this. But that's the point. It's going to be toxic for us. We won't be able to get any messages out, we won't be able to campaign for anything.”
A secret recording of a 70-minute hearing has begun airing in Federal Court.
In a meeting with Moira Deeming, Opposition Leader John Pesutto explained how he was trying to position the Victorian Liberal Party and that what happened at the Let Women Talk rally would impact on the party's ability to defend that position.
“You are the ambassador of our party,” Pesutto said in a secret recording of a meeting on March 19, 2023.
“The Nazis are coming, I'm going to call them Nazi protesters. I'm going to call them that because that's how everyone sees them, frankly.”
Diming agreed that they were Nazis.
Sue Chrysanthou, Deeming's lead prosecutor, said it showed her client fully accepted that the men were Nazis.
Pesutto said at the meeting that she, like the entire party, is now tied to them, and he believes this story will only get stronger.
“I'm just getting kicked out,” he said.
A bitter legal battle began on Monday between ousted Liberal Moira Deeming and opposition leader John Pesutto.
Deeming's lawyer Sue Chrisanthou SC told the court that a recording of the 70-minute meeting between the Victorian Liberal Party leadership and Deeming would show Pesutto had given false evidence.
Crisantou said the audio recording, recorded by Liberal deputy leader David Southwick, was only provided by Pesutto's legal team last week.
The court was also presented with text messages showing Pesutto considered expelling Deeming on the day of the Let Women Talk rally.
Moira Deeming will appear in Federal Court on Monday for the first day of her libel trial against Victorian Liberal leader John Pesutto.Credit: Jason South
“I think we should probably discuss Moira. Do we really think her misjudgments and worse won't continue to hurt us? Nazis this time. What next?” Pesutto wrote in a text message to Southwick on the night of March 18, 2023.
The court heard Pesutto also told former MP Louise Staley, now his chief of staff, that he would consider expelling her from the Liberal Party. “I don't even understand why she wants to be in the Liberal Party.”
On Saturday, Epoch said political commentator and Liberal Party activist Peta Credlin taught Deeming how to resist an attempt to throw her out of the party room.
Deeming will be the first to testify and be cross-examined during the three-week hearing.
You can read more detailed information about yesterday's event here.
In March 2023, Moira Deeming attended a Let Women Talk rally that was disrupted by neo-Nazis on the steps of Victoria's Parliament.
Deeming claims that John Pesutto slandered her as a Nazi sympathizer for her role in the unsanctioned rally, while Pesutto disputes that claim.
Moira Deeming speaks at the Let Women Talk rally in Melbourne in March last year.Credit: YouTube
The opposition leader had previously said Deeming had interacted with organisers and speakers who shared platforms “with people who promote Nazi views or sympathies”. He had previously said Deeming was not a fit and proper person to be a member of his party.
Deeming was suspended from the Liberal Party for nine months in a last-minute compromise deal, but was ultimately expelled from the party weeks later after threatening to involve lawyers.
She remains a member of the wider party but now sits on the crossbench in Victoria's upper house.
Deeming's lawsuit alleges that Pesutto defamed her in press releases, dossiers, a March petition for removal, press conferences, radio and television interviews, and news articles.
She is seeking damages for the substantial harm, distress and embarrassment she says she has suffered. Her claim states that she feared for her safety and financial security as a result of the “campaign” to remove her.
Pesutto, who is disputing the claims, argues that he expressed an honest belief that it was in the public interest to disseminate his position and that he acted reasonably. Barrister Matthew Collins, KC, will also argue that Pesutto's comments were substantially truthful.
Pesutto said he has repeatedly and clearly stated publicly that he does not consider Deeming a neo-Nazi or white supremacist.
Good morning,
Thank you for joining us for our coverage of day two of the Federal Court libel trial against Opposition Leader John Pesutto, suspended Victorian Liberal MP Moira Deeming.
I Cassandra Morgan and today I will be blogging while the state political editor Annika Smethurst and state political reporter Rachel Eddy tune in to listen.
We expect a secret recording of a 70-minute meeting between the Victorian Liberal Party leadership and Deeming to be played in court.
The court heard yesterday that the secret audio recording was only given to Deeming's legal team a week ago, despite the meeting taking place in March 2023, the day after the MP attended the Let Women Talk rally that was stormed by neo-Nazis on the steps of Victoria's parliament.
The meeting ended with management telling Deeming that they would seek her expulsion. How the meeting unfolded will be the subject of a criminal investigation.
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