The Age: Moira Deeming gets second chance in re-run preselection
Michael Barnett OAM
Moira Deeming gets second chance in re-run preselection
March 30, 2026 — 11:57am
High-profile MP Moira Deeming has a second chance to save her political career with the Liberal Party after it was revealed her victor gave a character reference to a child abuser.
The party revealed late on Monday that another preselection would be held to choose the No.1 candidate for the upper house Western Metropolitan region and that Dinesh Gourisetty, who only 24 hours earlier beat Deeming, would be barred from contesting.
Dinesh Gourisetty on Sunday at the Liberal Party headquarters before his preselection.Rachel EddieSunday’s preselection vote devolved into a messy fight and confusion over whether Gourisetty had withdrawn from the contest after the character reference came to light.
Opposition Leader Jess Wilson subsequently said Gourisetty would not be welcome in her party room after the November election over his 2024 court reference for his friend Kashyap Patel, who pleaded guilty to grooming and sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl.
Liberal Party state president Phil Davis said the information, which he described as serious and concerning, had come to the party’s attention after Sunday’s preselection vote, and that on Monday Gourisetty had stepped down as the No.1 candidate on the ticket.
“The Victorian Liberal Party’s state executive has resolved that a further preselection convention will be held for the first position on the Liberal Party’s group voting ticket for the Western Metropolitan region, and that Mr Dinesh Gourisetty will not be eligible to participate as a candidate in that convention.”
Deeming has not yet confirmed whether she intends to contest, though the path appears to be cleared for her to succeed.
The party has not decided on a date but hope to arrange it as soon as possible.
Gourisetty had earlier written to the party’s state executive to declare he never withdrew and hoped to continue. He condemned the actions of Patel, and insisted he did not know the details of the allegations, believing Patel was contesting the charges.
In the character reference released to The Age, however, Gourisetty acknowledged that Patel was in court for child grooming and sexual assault charges.
“He is very upset about the charges and I truly believe he is extremely sorry to the complainant for what he has done,” the reference released by the County Court said.
Patel in 2024 pleaded guilty to grooming a child under 16, transmitting indecent communication to a person under 16, and sexually assaulting a child under the age of 16 in 2021. He was convicted and sentenced to nine months’ imprisonment.
Gourisetty, an Indian community leader, came under intense pressure on Monday to withdraw when the character reference was revealed. He beat Deeming and her fellow MP Trung Luu less than a day earlier at Sunday’s preselection. Luu retained the second position, which Deeming did not contest.
In his letter to the state executive, also obtained by The Age, Gourisetty said he had indicated he may step down “in a moment of distress and in the interest of unity” on Monday morning. But he said he had not formally withdrawn and didn’t intend to after the honour of being preselected following years of service.
“Let me be absolutely clear – I strongly and unequivocally condemn the actions for which Mr Patel has now been convicted. Those actions are unacceptable, and I do not in any way support or excuse them,” Gourisetty wrote.
He said this was not an endorsement of wrongdoing and pointed out former prime ministers John Howard and Tony Abbott had also provided character references in the past for unrelated cases.
“It is deeply troubling to me that I am now being judged and asked to face consequences for actions I did not commit, and for circumstances I was not fully aware of. Our party, and indeed our country, is built on the fundamental principle of a fair go and natural justice. Every individual deserves to be heard, to be treated fairly, and to be judged in context. I humbly ask that I be afforded that same fairness,” Gourisetty wrote.
“At the time I provided the reference, my understanding of the situation was entirely different. I was led to believe he was contesting the charges and maintaining his innocence ... I had no knowledge of the seriousness or full nature of the allegations. I acted in good faith, based on what I knew at the time.”
Wilson, having unsuccessfully lobbied delegates to vote for Deeming, said she had made it clear to the state executive that Gourisetty could not sit in her party room come November.
“Gourisetty is not welcome on my team,” Wilson said in a statement.
The character reference also described Patel, his friend of four years, as a humble family man who was not coping well during COVID-19.
“The issue was completely outside of his usual character. Even though he has been charged, I would continue to trust him as my friend,” Gourisetty’s character reference said.
“I believe any behaviour he displayed that caused him to be charged with child grooming and sexual assault was a one-off event.”
Liberals were on Monday questioning how the information had not been uncovered in vetting.
Supporters of Gourisetty believed the timing was designed to cause maximum damage to the party and its executive.
Rachel Eddie is a Victorian state political reporter for The Age. Contact her at rachel...@theage.com.au, rachel...@protonmail.com, or via Signal at @RachelEddie.99Connect via X or email.