Victoria’s opposition leader John Pesutto maintains he’s standing firm despite an embarrassing Federal Court finding he defamed a former part room colleague. Upper house MP Moira Deeming won the blockbuster defamation case against her former parliamentary boss after he unfairly suggested she had Nazi associations. Now she wants to return to the party, while his future is up in the air.
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00:00Exiled in parliament, but now vindicated in court.
00:06I am just so delighted with today's result.
00:10Moira Deeming today winning her defamation case against her former parliamentary boss, John Persuto.
00:15I respect the court's decision, so I do accept that the court has delivered this decision, as disappointing as it is.
00:23The federal court ruled the opposition leader defamed Ms Deeming on five occasions.
00:28The imputation found to be conveyed is that Mrs Deeming participated in a rally and knowingly worked with Ms Keane and other organisers
00:37to help them promote their odious Nazi agenda and their white supremacist and ethno-fascist views.
00:44In March last year, Ms Deeming helped organise a Let Women Speak rally at Parliament House, featuring prominent anti-trans rights activist Kelly J Keane.
00:53That rally was gate crashed by neo-Nazis.
00:57Inside the courtroom, Moira Deeming's supporters broke into applause as the judgement was handed down.
01:02John Persuto has been ordered to pay $300,000 in damages and could face an even bigger legal bill, but that will be decided at a future hearing.
01:11Mr Persuto is adamant his leadership is secure.
01:15I've always been a fighter for the right reasons and for the right people, the Victorian people.
01:19And that's why I will continue in this role, now more than ever.
01:23John Persuto's position as Leader of the Opposition and indeed Alternative Premier is completely in shreds today.
01:30Ms Deeming was expelled from the Liberal Parliamentary Party after threatening to sue the Leader.
01:36Now she says she should be welcomed back into the fold.
01:39I have every right to be there. I did nothing wrong.
01:42Everything, all the accusations that were made about me, they were justice proven in court.
01:48Questions of readmission or expulsion from any party room are matters for the members of that party room.
01:54Whether that would happen under Mr Persuto's leadership remains to be seen.