Court says MP's reputation hurt by planning rally, organized by himself.

According to lawyers representing Victorian Liberal leader John Pesutto, exiled MP Moira Deeming's reputation was damaged due to her involvement in a controversial anti-trans rally. Pesutto's barrister, Matthew Collins KC, stated that the harm had already been done before Pesutto made any comments or took action to remove Deeming from the party.

During the defamation trial against Pesutto in the Federal Court of Australia, Collins spent a significant amount of time outlining his argument. It was alleged that Deeming had been defamed by Pesutto through media releases, a press conference, and interviews following her attendance at the Let Women Speak rally in March 2023. This particular rally was marred by the presence of neo-Nazis, who made headlines by performing the Nazi salute on the steps of the state parliament.

Collins argued that Deeming had damaged her own reputation by organizing and participating in the rally, even before Pesutto had made any statements. He presented evidence of tweets linking Deeming to rally organizers and Nazi sympathizers, as well as calls for Pesutto to expel her from the party. While he acknowledged that Deeming's reputation had been harmed, he asserted that Pesutto was not responsible for it.

"Ms. Deeming's reputation suffered significant damage, and this was a result of her involvement in the rally," Collins said. He then went on to show video footage of the event, which included disturbing chants and Nazi salutes. He described it as "utterly chilling" and argued that it was the duty of a mainstream political party member to openly condemn such actions. However, instead of denouncing it, Deeming was seen in videos drinking champagne with organizers and indulging in "bizarre conspiracy theories."

Collins reminded the court that politics can be a tough game and that in order to win elections, political parties must appeal to the mainstream vote. He argued that associations like the one Deeming had with the rally were toxic and could push away voters. This, according to him, was the reason why Pesutto took action and moved to expel Deeming from the party.

Collins further asserted that it was fair and reasonable for Pesutto to publicly clarify why he had taken this step, given the widespread coverage of the event and the resulting uproar in mainstream media. Pesutto, who maintains his innocence, is expected to be questioned later in the trial.

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