The Nationals are backing Opposition Leader John Pesutto ahead of Monday’s expulsion vote for Moira Deeming, limiting the controversial MP’s options for staying in the Liberal partyroom.
While Nationals MPs do not get to participate in the Liberal Party ballot, the junior Coalition party’s leadership has not pressured the opposition leader to back down, making it more likely that a push by some Liberals to find a less severe punishment for Deeming will fail.
Peter Walsh has said the Nationals have worked hard to better represent modern regional Victoria.Credit:Eddie Jim
One Nationals MP, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to discuss the party’s stance, described the debate over transgender rights as “unnecessary”.
“We’re very mindful of what’s happened this [past] week,” the MP said. “We’ve gone through COVID and floods – we want stronger communities. It’s tough out there, and we don’t need this type of behaviour [from Deeming]. It’s not who we are.”
Another Nationals MP, also speaking on the condition of anonymity, agreed Deeming’s concerns about transgender women were not top-of-mind for regional voters. And talking about fringe issues could weaken the Coalition when it was starting to gain ground on matters such as integrity, the MP added.
“Voters in general don’t want politicians talking about themselves,” the Nationals MP said. “They want politicians working hard to get the best outcomes for their electorates.
“[We should be discussing] access to health. There’s not enough health professionals in the regions. We need to fix our roads. And it’s also about housing – there is just a critical shortage of all forms of housing.”
The office of Nationals leader Peter Walsh declined to comment. However, Walsh has previously told The Age that his party worked hard to reinvent itself in the leadup to last year’s state election. The Nationals won three new lower house seats in November, with Shepparton and Mildura returning to the party after those electorates had previously voted in socially progressive independents.
Pesutto also refused to answer questions. But he has made no secret of his desire to drag the Victorian Liberals towards the political centre to make the party more electable.
“No matter your religious faith, no matter what your sexual preference is, your race, my values as a Liberal are that I want to be a voice for you,” the opposition leader said last week. “That’s the part of liberalism that drives me.”
Speaking to the media on Saturday, shadow treasurer Brad Rowswell said he wanted the Deeming matter dealt with.
“I want us to be moving on and focusing on the things that matter to Victorians,” he said. “Monday will come and Monday will go, and the debt level in this state will still be around $165 billion.”
Deeming, an upper house Liberal MP for the western metropolitan region, is fighting to remain in the Coalition’s ranks after “organising, promoting and attending” the Let Women Speak protest on the steps of state parliament last weekend. The anti-transgender rights rally was gatecrashed by far-right extremists who performed the Nazi salute on the steps of parliament.
The Liberals aren’t the only party grappling with when and how its members should debate transgender rights. On Saturday afternoon, Greens members were sent a state council proposal denouncing the “hate speech and vilification” that took place at last weekend’s rally.
“We recognise that trans women are women, trans men are men, and gender diverse identities exist and are valid,” the statement reads.
“State council recognises the harm caused by the need to continually address and discuss actions of transphobia within the party and commits to improving our culture, rules and policy platform to enable trans and gender diverse people to fully participate within our movement free from such harm.”
The statement – as well as upcoming plans to add transphobia to the party’s misconduct rules – are expected to further inflame tensions between those in the Greens who think the party should air the concerns some people have about women’s only spaces, and those who believe trans-exclusionary feminists have no place in the party.
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