Family First says party applied different standards
Family First national director and New South Wales Legislative Council lead candidate Lyle Shelton has criticised the Victorian Liberal Party after it disendorsed Moira Deeming, arguing the move fits a longer pattern that began with her preselection in 2022.
In comments released in a two-minute statement, Shelton described the party’s treatment of Deeming as deeply unjust. He linked the disendorsement to internal disputes that have run through 2022, 2023 and Deeming’s later court action against John Pesutto.
Deeming was expelled from the parliamentary party in 2023 after controversy over a rally where neo-Nazis appeared. She later sued Pesutto for defamation and won.
According to Shelton, Deeming was falsely accused of associating with neo-Nazis because she stood up for women’s sex-based rights. He argued that Victorian Liberal figures publicly vilified her and then abandoned her.
Family First backed Deeming during that dispute. Shelton contended that the Victorian Liberal leadership should have done the same.
Moira Deeming and Matthew Guy
Shelton also contrasted Deeming’s treatment with the support shown to former Liberal leader Matthew Guy. In his account, Liberal colleagues moved quickly to offer sympathy to Guy when allegations emerged around him.
“When Matthew Guy became the subject of allegations, Liberal colleagues immediately rallied around him with words of sympathy and support. Yet when Moira was falsely branded a Nazi sympathiser in 2023, there was no similar chorus of compassion from the Victorian Liberals. It was crickets,” Shelton said.
He argued that the difference was impossible to ignore after three years of conflict inside the Victorian party. Shelton claimed there appeared to be one standard for a male Liberal he described as left-wing on LGBTQA+ issues and another for a Liberal woman with mainstream family views.
The dispute also touched on Deeming’s complaint involving Guy. Shelton stated that Deeming has consistently maintained she first raised her concerns through internal Liberal Party processes before she was told to go to police.
Whether the complaint was substantiated is separate from how party officials handled it, Shelton argued. He maintained that, given Deeming’s history with Victorian Liberal elites, her concerns should have been dealt with internally.
The Victorian Liberal Party is heading to the November election while still backing LGBTQA+ policies that Family First opposes. Shelton cited policies including penalties for parents who seek to dissuade children from attending a gender clinic for puberty blockers or surgery.
“If members who make complaints in good faith believe they risk having their political careers destroyed simply because their complaint is not upheld, what confidence can anyone have in internal complaints processes?” Shelton asked.
He added that every Liberal member should be concerned by the handling of Deeming’s complaint against Guy. Shelton said political parties should encourage members to use proper internal channels, not create fear of retaliation.
