Controversial MP Moira Deeming will contest the Victorian election as a candidate for Family First, after her expulsion from the Liberal Party.

Deeming, now a crossbench MP in the state upper house, will stand in the Western Metropolitan seat she won as a Liberal in 2022.

She made the announcement alongside Family First national director Lyle Shelton on Thursday. Shelton – previously the Australian Christian Lobby’s long-standing managing director – said there was “no more courageous politician in Australia” than Deeming, who will lead the party in Victoria.

“She’s paid a high price for standing up for common sense values about girls and women’s sex-based rights, and we really respect her for that,” Shelton said.

“There’s no one better equipped, because of her resilience and her tenacity, to fight for the families of Western Melbourne.”

Deeming was dumped from the Liberal Party two months ago after failing to apologise for unsubstantiated allegations against fellow MP Matthew Guy over an incident in May.

She had accused Guy, a former state Liberal leader, of grabbing her “violently” in a headlock at a party function. She later said she misunderstood the meaning of headlock.

Vision from the function showed Guy placing his hand on Deeming’s upper back as they lean in to talk to one another.

Guy vehemently denied anything untoward had happened and said Deeming owed him a public apology.

When she refused, the Liberal Party moved to dump her as its candidate. She launched a legal challenge seeking to prevent the move, but dumped it, clearing the way for a unanimous vote to expel her.

Tensions within Victorian Liberals party have simmered since their crushing defeat at the 2022 election. It spilled into a defamation lawsuit by Deeming against former leader John Pesutto.

The opposition is hoping to turf out a three-term Labor government in November and fend off an insurgent One Nation, which is yet to anoint a state leader.

On Thursday, Deeming said she was “pleased” to be joining Family First. She said she had considered “about three or four other parties”, but declined to list them.

“It was very, very kind of them, and I’m flattered, and I think that they’re good people, and I agree with a lot of what they stand for, but I was such a good match with Family First, and they’ve just got a really strong track record of their principles actually being reflected in their policies,” she said.

Deeming said she hadn’t considered continuing as an independent.

“I really like working as part of a team,” she said.

“I know that’s not the narrative put out there.”

Deeming said the major parties continued to take Melbourne’s west “for granted”.

“We don’t get our fair share of revenue from the taxes, and we don’t get our fair share of investment, and it’s absolutely disgraceful,” she said.

“I just really want to fight for the families in the west and for the things that I’ve always fought for, and I’m just going to continue to do that.”