Moira Deeming Secures Top Victorian Liberal Ticket Spot After Preselection Chaos
In a dramatic reversal of political fortune, Moira Deeming is poised to secure the number one position on the Victorian Liberal party's upper house ticket for the western metropolitan region without facing a preselection convention. This development comes less than one week after party members voted to remove her from that top spot in favor of Dinesh Gourisetty, who subsequently withdrew his nomination due to eligibility concerns.
Preselection Process Unravels
The Victorian Liberal party executive resolved to hold a fresh preselection after Gourisetty was deemed ineligible to stand as a candidate for the November state election. The disqualification stemmed from a character reference Gourisetty provided for a friend convicted of sexually assaulting a child, which the party's vetting process failed to initially flag.
Nominations for the new ballot opened late Tuesday night and closed at midday Thursday, giving potential candidates just 36 hours to complete an extensive application process. This tight timeframe has drawn criticism from several party members who described the re-run preselection as a "stitch up" designed to limit new candidates.
Withdrawals Clear the Path
Fellow upper house MP Trung Luu, who contested Sunday's original vote alongside Deeming, withdrew from the new ballot "in the best interest of the party," according to his statement to media. Luu retains the number two position on the ticket.
Three other candidates initially nominated for the top spot: Tim Beddoe, a former Liberal candidate for Maribyrnong; real estate agent Bobby Lakra; and Steve Murphy, the party's candidate at the Werribee byelection. Party sources considered Lakra Deeming's main challenger, as he is part of Melbourne's Indian community and was expected to receive support from the same bloc of delegates who backed Gourisetty.
However, in another unexpected twist, Lakra's nomination was ruled invalid on Thursday afternoon after it was found to be missing the required two referral letters, effectively barring him from the contest. A source close to Lakra accused the party executive committee of "intentionally knocking back" his application, claiming he had confirmed with the party before nominations closed that they had the required information.
Executive Endorsement Expected
Following Lakra's exclusion, Beddoe withdrew from the race. Murphy, who is considered an ally of Deeming, is also expected to step aside according to party sources. These withdrawals clear the way for the party executive to endorse Deeming without holding a preselection convention.
Party sources indicate this outcome represents a concerted effort to contain the messy factional war engulfing the Victorian Liberals before the November election. The preselection process has exposed significant divisions within the party and raised questions about candidate vetting procedures.
Rigorous Application Requirements
The Liberal party's preselection process requires candidates to obtain references from at least two people, collect ten signatures from eligible party members, complete national police and credit checks, and fill out an extensive 18-page questionnaire. This questionnaire is designed to uncover potentially embarrassing information such as past drug use, dating app activity, or visits to brothels or strip clubs.
Candidates must also pay a $5,000 application fee, most of which goes to an external consultancy responsible for vetting. The process is now under review after it failed to identify Gourisetty's problematic character reference before Sunday's initial ballot.
Deeming, who is currently on personal leave, has not publicly confirmed whether she will pursue preselection. However, under party rules, any candidate who nominated for Sunday's ballot and did not withdraw was automatically considered for endorsement. She declined to comment on the latest developments.
