Pleas to find a less severe punishment for Victorian Liberal MP Moira Deeming are “not being remotely entertained” by opposition leader, John Pesutto, who looks likely to have secured enough votes to expel her from the party room.
Liberal MPs are set to decide on Monday whether Deeming should be expelled from the parliamentary party, after she attended a rally headlined by British anti-transgender activist Kellie-Jay Keen where neo-Nazis were photographed performing the Nazi salute at the weekend.
Deeming has vowed to fight the expulsion and maintains she has done nothing wrong.
Several MPs – largely from the conservative faction of the party room – unsuccessfully attempted to delay Monday’s vote and are now pleading with Pesutto to find an “alternative sanction” for Deeming.
One MP, who asked not to be named so they could speak freely, said this could take the form of a written apology, fine or suspension from the party room.
“Everything is being canvassed,” they told Guardian Australia. “We need to come up with a compromise – an alternative sanction – so that everyone in the party room is happy.”
Two others who voted to delay Monday’s vote were unaware of the push to find an alternative punishment for Deeming but said they would back such a motion if it were put forward in the party room.
However, Pesutto is standing firm. A Liberal source close to the leader said the shift in tone from Deeming’s supporters reinforced the likelihood his motion to expel the upper house MP would succeed.
“They know they can’t get enough people to vote against JP [John Pesutto], so they are trying to muddy the waters,” the source said.
They said some MPs were exploiting the saga to undermine Pesutto, which was “backfiring spectacularly”.
“All the plotting and scheming has many MPs furious,” they said. “They may think it’s helping their cause but, if anything, it’s led to more people rallying behind JP.”
Another Liberal MP, who wants Deeming expelled, said an alternative punishment is “not being remotely entertained”.
“JP remains utterly committed to expelling [Deeming],” they said. “Nobody wanted it to get to this point but there is no other option.
“The notion of her issuing a written apology – after she said in her statement that she did nothing wrong – is frankly bizarre.”
Speaking outside parliament on Thursday, upper house MP Matt Bach, a member of the Victorian Liberal’s leadership team, said “there can be no compromise”.
“We support John and we support that motion. I’ve co-signed that motion and I’m confident that a majority of my colleagues will support it on Monday,” he told reporters.
Asked whether Deeming was being unfairly treated and whether a lengthy suspension would be more appropriate, Bach said “no” to both questions.
Liberal MP David Davis also confirmed he would be supporting Pesutto’s motion, saying: “He’s done the right thing moving this motion.”
In a statement on Monday, Deeming said she was hopeful her colleagues would stand on principle and vote down the motion.
