Victorian Opposition Leader John Pesutto will be hoping to avoid a frosty reception from the Liberal masses ahead of a looming defamation trial.
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Grassroots Liberal Party members and MPs will gather in Melbourne on Sunday for day two of the Victorian Liberal state council, with Mr Pesutto the headline speaker.
The Hawthorn MP was booed and dozens of rank-and-file members walked out as he rose to give a speech at the same event at Bendigo in May 2023.
The staged reaction was prompted by first-term MP Moira Deeming being expelled from the parliamentary party after she threatened Mr Pesutto with defamation action.
It followed comments from Mr Pesutto about her attending a rally gatecrashed by a group of masked men who performed the Nazi salute.
The defamation dispute is scheduled to head to trial in September, despite the state Liberal leader reaching settlements with rally speaker Kellie-Jay Keen and organiser Angela Jones.
In what was viewed as a test of Mr Pesutto's leadership, Phillip Davis fended off a challenge from ex-state MP Graham Watt on Saturday to be re-elected state party president.
Mr Pesutto's federal counterpart Peter Dutton emphasised the need for unity to win the next federal and state elections in his address to party faithful.
Several contentious state-related motions remain on the agenda after not being debated on Saturday, including one calling for the repeal of Victoria's nuclear ban and another urging the party to rescind its commitment to net-zero emissions.
Other potentially controversial moves focus on "women and girls sport" and repealing the "gender affirmation model" for transgender people.
Members unanimously voted to urge the Liberal administrative committee and secretariat to consider the impact of electing Greens to parliaments and councils when allocating preferences at all future elections.
The motion also called on the state council to note the "deeply concerning and aggressive anti-Israel and antisemitic rhetoric/positions of Victorian Greens MPs, councillors and candidates".
Australian Associated Press
