Advertisement

Outspoken MP quits Liberals after ‘headlock’ fiasco

Moira Deeming has not indicated whether she will run as a candidate in the November election.

Moira Deeming has not indicated whether she will run as a candidate in the November election. Photo: AAP

Outspoken MP Moira Deeming has quit the Victorian Liberal Party to become an independent for the remainder of the parliamentary term.

The upper house MP on Tuesday confirmed she would sit on the crossbench after the Liberal Party disendorsed her as a candidate for the Western Metropolitan region in the November state election.

“My focus has always been, and will continue to be, on representing the needs and concerns of everyday Australians,” Deeming said in a statement.

“I was elected to fight for freedom, fair laws, and families.

“To save our state from the endemic corruption, crushing debt, and the rising crime crisis, Labor has got to go.”

Opposition Leader Jess Wilson confirmed she had received Deeming’s resignation.

The state executive revoked Deeming’s candidacy in a unanimous vote on July 18 after she declined to apologise over unsubstantiated claims of violence against former leader Matthew Guy.

The MP accused Guy of grabbing her ”violently” in a headlock at a community event in May, but later claimed she misunderstood the meaning of “headlock”.

Guy told reporters in June that Deeming owed him a public apology, vehemently denying anything untoward took place.

A police investigation concluded no offence was detected at the event.

Deeming has not indicated whether she will run as a candidate in the November election.

She successfully sued former leader John Pesutto for defamation in 2024 when he implied she was associated with neo-Nazis after they gatecrashed a rally at parliament she attended.

It caused Pesutto to lose the leadership and paved the way for her to return to the parliamentary Liberal fold.

–AAP

Want to see more stories from The New Daily in your Google search results?

  1. Click here to set The New Daily as a preferred source.
  2. Tick the box next to "The New Daily". That's it.
Advertisement
Stay informed, daily
A FREE subscription to The New Daily arrives every morning and evening.
The New Daily is a trusted source of national news and information and is provided free for all Australians. Read our editorial charter.
Copyright © 2026 The New Daily.
All rights reserved.