John Pesutto’s leadership of the Victorian Liberals appears to be on borrowed time with even his supporters abandoning him ahead of a likely spillover on Friday.
Despite backtracking by allowing court opponent Moira Deeming to return to the Liberal fold, the state opposition leader is facing growing calls for him to resign.
A vote could be held this Friday in the party room, where he is likely to be fired and replaced by opposition police spokesman Brad Battin.
An anonymous Liberal MP, who claimed to have previously supported Pesutto, said The Australian the embattled leader should resign to avoid a leadership leak.
‘It’s done. It’s over for John,” the MP said, claiming the Liberal party room wanted him gone before Christmas.
“The discussion now is about what the future will be like.”
Australian Associated Press also reported that an unnamed Liberal MP predicted Pesutto’s imminent demise on Sunday night.
“We will see a new leader, I have no doubt of that,” said the liberal deputy.
There are growing calls from anonymous MPs for John Pesutto to resign from the Victorian Liberal leadership before he is ousted.
However, Pesutto remained defiant Sunday afternoon.
“We have had a positive resonance with Victorians and we have a great chance of improving our vote and possibly winning Prahran and Werribee in this by-election,” he told The Australian.
‘Our work has allowed us to continue our rise as an alternative government, even with internal challenges. Let’s maintain our focus and direction.”
Internal party turmoil in Victoria has led federal opposition leader Peter Dutton to postpone announcing his shadow ministry reshuffle until early in the new year, amid fears a potential leadership leak would overshadow the presentation of his team “ready for the elections.”
Battin, a former police officer, was considered the favorite to take over the leadership, with finance spokesperson Jess Wilson a possible candidate for the deputy role along with former Australian tennis player Sam Groth.
Pesutto, who completely lost a defamation case brought against him by Deeming, cast his deciding vote to prevent her from returning to the party hall on Friday.
However, at the weekend, he declared that a “definite absolute majority” of the party’s MPs wanted him back and even issued a humiliating apology.
Moira Deeming (pictured after her court victory on Thursday) won a defamation case she brought against Pesutto after he expelled her from the parliamentary party.
“I apologize again to Ms Deeming as we all work together to ensure the Liberal Party succeeds in winning government in November 2026,” Mr Pesutto said.
He called the second extraordinary meeting for January 15.
However, Battin, Groth, along with fellow Liberal MPs Richard Riordan, James Newbury and Bridget Vallence, signed a petition calling for the meeting to be held this Friday.
Four are members of Pesutto’s shadow cabinet.
Groth resigned from his shadow cabinet role following Pesutto’s refusal to resign after the Federal Court ruled last week that he defamed Ms Deeming and ordered him to pay $315,632 in damages plus costs.
On Friday, Liberal MPs were split 14-14 on whether to welcome Ms Deeming back into the party after she was expelled over a controversial rally she attended in March 2023 that was broken up by neo-Nazis.
Pesutto used his deciding vote to break the 14-14 tie, although he argued that it was not technically necessary because the motion required more than half of the party’s 30 members to pass.
Ms Deeming, who remains a member of the Liberal Party but is an independent MP in the state’s upper house, used an interview on Saturday to call for the leader’s head.
“Treating me like a vengeful witch who needs to be burned at the stake is incredibly offensive,” she told Seven News.
Former Prime Minister Tony Abbott previously attacked the Victorian Liberals who voted against his readmission to the party on Friday.
“How can someone elected liberal be expelled based on a lie and not be reinstated once the truth is out for all to see?” the former Liberal prime minister posted on X.
“Especially just before Christmas, the season of goodwill, this is a truly despicable failure to act with honor and decency.”
The internal turmoil stems from Pesutto being found to have made defamatory comments implying Deeming was associated with the Nazis after the Melbourne demonstration.
She was initially given a nine-month suspension before being expelled from the parliamentary party after threatening to sue Pesutto.