Liberal Party's Preselection Fails, Deeming Back in Spotlight

0:00Moderates in Victoria's liberal party spend months plotting to bump conservative women like more redeeming off-top spots on the upper-house ballot for November state election. They nailed it on Sunday when Dinesh Gouricetti grabbed the number one position in Western metropolitan, beating Deeming who skipped the number two, slot that went to incumbent Trung Lu. But the wind soured fast. By Monday, an email had the executive, showing Gouricetti wrote a character reference for a friend convicted of sexually assaulting a child. That night, they voted for a fresh pre-selection and barred him from running. Party insiders are fuming, but not shocked. One MP called it incredibly embarrassing, while sources say the timing felt like a diabolical hit job on the moderates. For leader Jess Wilson, pushing unity after years of drama, this blows up her disciplined team image right before voters tune in. The vetting process bombed heart, despite paid consultants checking social media and ties.

1:00Gouricetti didn't flag the reference on his form, so Wilson ordered a full review of how candidates get screened. Questions now swirl on the redo, same delegates voting, maybe new faces, or even bringing Deeming back for peace. This mess has Deeming dominating headlines again. Just what the moderates tried to avoid, leaving the party's future spots up in the air as they, scramble for November. I'm Cory with The Story. That's your Sydney News Today update, AI-powered and always on.