Deeming’s Victorian Liberal Preselection Re-run Looms

Liberal Party Scrambles as Preselection Chaos Engulfs Western Metropolitan Region

The Victorian Liberal Party is facing internal turmoil and a significant preselection headache in the Western Metropolitan Region, following a dramatic turn of events that saw a candidate withdraw after revelations of a character reference provided to a man convicted of serious child sex offences. The saga has led to the party being forced to re-run a preselection battle for a key upper house spot, with controversial MP Moira Deeming now back in the running.

The initial preselection on Sunday saw Moira Deeming, a sitting MP in the Victorian Legislative Council, lose out to Dinesh Gourisetty for the top spot on the Liberal ticket in the Western Metropolitan Region. However, this outcome was short-lived.

A Character Reference Surfaces, Triggering a Crisis

Just a day after securing the coveted number one position, Mr. Gourisetty found himself under intense scrutiny from within his own party. It emerged that he had provided a character reference for Kashyap Patel, a man who in 2024 pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including grooming and sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl in 2021.

The County Court judgement detailed that Patel, a “good friend of 4 years” to Mr. Gourisetty, had received this reference. This revelation immediately placed Mr. Gourisetty in an untenable position, prompting swift action from party leadership.

Victorian Liberal Party president, Philip Davis, confirmed Mr. Gourisetty’s withdrawal on Monday morning. “Dinesh Gourisetty this morning advised me of his decision to withdraw his candidacy from position 1 on the Liberal Party’s Group Voting Ticket in the Western Metropolitan Region,” Mr. Davis stated. “This was accepted.”

The pressure on Mr. Gourisetty was palpable, with Victorian Opposition Leader Jess Wilson making her stance unequivocally clear. “Mr. Gourisetty is not welcome on my team,” she declared in a statement, reinforcing that he could not remain on the ticket.

Gourisetty’s Defence and Disappointment

In his defence, Mr. Gourisetty penned a letter to party executives, vehemently condemning Patel’s actions and asserting that he was unaware of the full gravity of the allegations at the time he provided the reference. “I had no knowledge of the seriousness or full nature of the allegations. I acted in good faith, based on what I knew at the time,” he wrote. He further elaborated, “I do not raise this to compare circumstances directly, but to highlight that such actions have historically been understood as expressions of personal character assessment, not endorsements of wrongdoing.”

Mr. Gourisetty also drew attention to instances where other senior Liberal figures had provided character references for individuals facing allegations, suggesting a degree of inconsistency in the party’s response. He expressed his disappointment at the pressure to withdraw, stating, “Instead of feeling supported, I feel I have been pushed towards withdrawing, and even advised to consider resigning from the party I have served with dedication for so many years.”

Despite his initial assertion to remain on the ticket, the situation escalated. Hours later, Mr. Davis issued another statement, confirming Mr. Gourisetty’s withdrawal once more. “Earlier today Mr Dinesh Gourisetty advised me of his decision to withdraw from the First Position on the Liberal Party’s Group Voting Ticket for the Western Metropolitan Region,” the statement read.

The party’s State Executive subsequently resolved that a new preselection convention would be held for the First Position in the Western Metropolitan Region. Critically, Mr. Gourisetty was deemed ineligible to participate as a candidate in this forthcoming convention.

Moira Deeming’s Contentious Return

This entire episode effectively reopens the preselection battle, paving the way for Moira Deeming to potentially reclaim the top spot. Ms. Deeming, first elected to the upper house in 2022, has been a figure of considerable controversy within the Liberal Party.

Her political career took a significant hit in 2023 when she attended the “Let Women Speak” rally, an event that was unfortunately gatecrashed by neo-Nazis. While Ms. Deeming publicly condemned the actions of the neo-Nazis, her position within the party became precarious. She was suspended and subsequently expelled from the parliamentary Liberal Party after threatening defamation action against the then-leader, John Pesutto.

Ms. Deeming’s return to the party room was a result of a successful defamation lawsuit against Mr. Pesutto. The court found that Mr. Pesutto had defamed her by implying she associated with or sympathised with Nazis, a ruling that vindicated her stance and allowed her to re-enter the parliamentary Liberal Party. The current preselection chaos means her path back to a prominent position on the ballot paper is once again open, albeit under tumultuous circumstances.