December 27th 2024.
John Pesutto, the current leader of the opposition in Victoria, has announced his resignation from the position. In a party room showdown, Brad Battin, the member of parliament for Berwick, was chosen to replace him. This comes after a challenging time for the Liberal Party, with exiled MP Moira Deeming being readmitted to the parliamentary wing.
Battin emerged victorious in today's leadership vote, defeating Jess Wilson and Chris Crewther, who also put their names forward for the role. As a former tennis star, Sam Groth will now take on the role of deputy Liberal leader. The party also voted to readmit Deeming, who was exiled from the party last May after threatening to sue Pesutto.
Last week, a similar motion to readmit Deeming failed in a 14-all vote deadlock. However, Pesutto used his vote to break the tie, stating that it settled "the matter". In a surprising turn of events, he has now called for another meeting on January 15 to discuss and vote on the matter once again.
Deeming's exile from the party came after her threat to sue Pesutto. However, she has since won her case against him, with the Federal Court ruling that he had defamed her through various media appearances and in a party expulsion motion. The judge found that Pesutto had implied that Deeming was not fit to remain in the parliamentary Liberal Party.
Despite the ruling, Pesutto has stated that he has no plans to step down as the head of the Liberal Party. In today's meeting, Deeming was voted back in by her colleagues with a majority of 23 votes to four. The Liberal Party has faced a challenging time, with a bushfire in the Grampians National Park and tragic deaths in the Sydney to Hobart race. Stay informed with the 9NEWS app, available for download on the Apple App Store and Google Play.
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