The future of conservative MP Moira Deeming remains in the air after revelations the moderate-backed candidate who won a preselection battle against her may have provided a character reference to a sex offender.

On March 28, Deeming lost her position to Indian community businessman Dinesh Gourisetty by 26 to 39 votes.

However, the result is still subject to state executive approval and could be up in the air after Gourisetty withdrew his nomination when it was revealed he provided a reference in court to sex offender Kashyap Patel, as stated by AAP.

Patel was found guilty in the Victorian County Court in 2024 for grooming and sexually assaulting a child under 16 years old.

Opposition Leader Jess Wilson was quick to state Gourisetty was “not welcome on my team” on March 30.

“I have made that clear to the party organisation this morning,” she said in a statement.

The Western Metropolitan region includes heavily multicultural suburbs and working class suburbs like Sunshine and Footscray.

Backing From Colleagues, Talk of One Nation Leap

After her ousting, Deeming was backed by conservative stalwarts like former Prime Minister Tony Abbott and Nationals leader Matt Canavan.

“I can’t believe Moira Deeming wasn’t picked to continue her amazing work. Regardless of the result she is so brave and such an inspiration to so many,” Canavan said.

Meanwhile, Liberal leader Wilson also backed Deeming ahead of the vote for the Legislative Council ticket.

“I am supporting all my colleagues, I am supporting Moira like I did Bev [McArthur] yesterday,” Wilson told reporters.

Former federal Liberal MP Craig Kelly now suggested it opened the door for Deeming to defect to One Nation.

“They’ve pushed Moria Deeming to One Nation and thousands more long-standing Liberals will now move to One Nation. If she decides to run in the Victorian Upper House as One Nation, she‘ll bolt in—and outpoll the Liberals by a country mile,” Kelly said on X.

The Epoch Times has contacted Deeming for comment.

Why Is She Well Known?

The MP gained attention for her defamation battle with former Liberal leader John Pesutto after being publicly accused of having links to neo-Nazis.

Deeming spoke at a women’s rights rally in 2023, which was gatecrashed by a group of self-declared neo-Nazis. Media reports later misconstrued Deeming’s involvement with the women’s rights rally—attended by Posie Parker—and the neo-Nazi movement.

This led former Liberal leader Pesutto to publicly denounce her and later force a vote that saw her expelled from the Liberals.

Deeming later sued Pesutto for defamation, who ended up losing the leadership and now struggles to pay the $2.3 million penalty.

In turn, the Victorian Liberals’ administrative committee agreed to lend Pesutto $1.55 million to help settle his debt and avoid bankruptcy.

Deeming’s Moves Amid One Nation Surge

Deeming’s conservative views on women’s spaces and trans activists would align with One Nation, which is surging in popularity across multiple polls.

A recent Redbridge/Accent poll found One Nation climbing to 24 percent of the primary vote compared to 28 percent for the Coalition and 25 percent for the Labor Party.

The Victorian election is due on Nov. 28, 2026 with Labor Premier Jacinta Allan facing pressure over her leadership amid spiralling poll numbers.

A DemosAU/Premier poll found Allan the least popular premier in the country with a net negative approval rating of -37. This means 16 percent of respondents said they were positive about her leadership, compared to 53 percent.