January – February 2023
52 At some stage after this, Mrs Deeming contacted Ms Keen to introduce herself, and to ask if there was anything she could do to help (CB:2, 70[42]). Ms Keen told her that she already had a Melbourne team organising the LWS rally, but she suggested that Mrs Deeming get in contact with Ms Angie Jones, one of the key organisers, to see if she could help her.
53 On 10 January 2023, Mrs Deeming messaged Ms Jones to see if she could "help out in the background in any way" (CB:2, 70[44(a)]).
54 In January 2023, Mrs Deeming attended a two-day Coalition Conference (CB:1, 8[39]).
55 Either at the conference, or around that time, Mrs Deeming had conversations with Mr Pesutto (CB:1, 8[40], CB:31, 364[3]). They have slightly different recollections of what was said.
56 Mrs Deeming said she again raised with Mr Pesutto her advocacy for sex-based rights. She told him she wanted to advocate for these issues, about which she felt strongly, but that she never wanted to do it in such a way as to cause trouble within the team. She asked if he would meet with her in the near future to give her advice as to how she should advocate for these issues without dividing the team. Mrs Deeming said that Mr Pesutto agreed, but never contacted her to set up a meeting.
57 She also swore that she told Mr Pesutto that she planned on attending Ms Keen's LWS rally in March 2023; that Mr Pesutto said that he did not know who Ms Keen was; that she encouraged him to look her up; and that it would be good if he met with her, and some of the other women, to hear their views.
58 At some stage after this, Mrs Deeming said she had another conversation with Mr Pesutto in which she again raised that she planned on attending the LWS rally and again invited him to meet Ms Keen, on 18 March 2023, privately before the LWS rally, so he could hear her views and perspectives (CB:1, 8[40]). Mrs Deeming said that Mr Pesutto agreed and asked her to book in the meeting with his office, which she said she did.
59 Mr Pesutto accepted in cross-examination that he had a conversation with Mrs Deeming in which she told him there were people coming to Melbourne and that she may have mentioned Ms Keen and asked whether he could meet with them (T651.14–21). He gave evidence that he did not agree to meet them but rather gave "a non-committal" response to the effect of "[j]ust
