A government minister has criticised Victoria’s opposition leader for staying silent over what he says were “deeply transphobic” past comments by a controversial new Liberal candidate.
Melton City councillor Moira Deeming was picked to replace conservative MP Bernie Finn on the party’s upper house ticket last week.
Victorian Opposition Leader Matthew Guy addressing the media in May after a Liberal Party meeting resulted in controversial MP Bernie Finn being expelled from the party.Credit:Joe Armao
Deeming claimed in 2016 the Safe Schools program aimed at preventing bullying against LGBTQ children was “sleazy, unnecessary drivel”.
Housing minister Danny Pearson said on Friday that Liberal leader Matthew Guy had the opportunity to call out the remarks but chose not to.
“He chose to stay silent when his candidate has made some appalling comments that are deeply transphobic and also against the rights of women,” Pearson said.
Deeming wrote in October 2021 that abortion was a “terrible evil”.
Moira Deeming has been chosen by Liberal Party members to replace outspoken MP Bernie Finn in the contest for the upper house Western Metropolitan Region seat in the state election.Credit:Jason South
He questioned why Guy would remove Finn and replace him with a “rampant transphobe”.
Finn was expelled from the Liberal Party in May after saying abortion should be banned in the state, even for rape survivors.
The comments came after Guy was quizzed about whether he had seen comments made by Deeming, including claims the people behind Safe Schools were “paedophile apologists”.
“I’m not interested in comments she’s made in the past,” Guy said. “I’m interested in what she’s doing as a candidate.”
The Liberal party was committed to ensuring it had “good representation in the western suburbs,” he said.
He made the comments in Tarneit, a suburb in the western metropolitan region that Deeming is seeking to represent, while announcing a commitment to provide $100 million for a new stadium and other facilities if his party wins the election.
He said Deeming had not made the comments as a candidate.
“When did she post these comments … 2020? You’re asking me about a post in 2020? Give me a break,” he said.
Instead, he pointed to Deeming’s work as a councillor, including in strategic planning in the west.
“I’m focused on the future,” Guy said.
Among other controversial remarks, Deeming asserted in December she could not support motions related to COVID-19 mandates or vaccines because she “did not agree with either of them”.
The teacher and mother of four was elected to the council on a platform that included: “I will never support rates being used to promote radical policies like banning Australia Day, drag queen storytimes for toddlers, or letting biological males who identify as female use female toilets and change rooms.”
Last year, Deeming publicly questioned every council in Victoria about whether it considered it was legal to put a sign on public toilets declaring that one is for “biological males”, one is for “biological females” and one is for people with “transgender identities”.
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