158 At about 11am, Mrs Deeming received a call from Ms Crozier asking her to attend a meeting with the Parliamentary Liberal Party leadership team (which comprised Mr Pesutto, Ms Crozier, Mr Southwick and Dr Bach) at the party's offices in the Melbourne CBD (CB:1, 13[58]).
159 At 11.11am, the then Premier of Victoria, Mr Daniel Andrews AC, posted a string of tweets on Twitter which grouped together read as follows (Ex R32; CC:301):
I won't share a photo because they simply don't deserve the attention. But yesterday, anti-trans activists gathered to spread hate. And on the steps of our Parliament, some of them performed a Nazi salute. I wish it didn't have to be said, but clearly it does: Nazis aren't welcome. Not on Parliament's steps. Not anywhere. They were there to say the trans community don't deserve rights, safety or dignity. That's what Nazis do. Their evil ideology is to scapegoat minorities - and it's got no place here. And those who stand with them don't, either. So to every trans Victorian, I say this: Our Government will always support you. And we'll always respect you. Because your rights are not negotiable.
160 At some point after midday, Mr Pintos-Lopez attended the office and commenced research on the LWS rally and its organisers.
161 Around the same time, Mr Riordan and his wife were hosting about 200 people at a lunch at their home in Colac, many of them from the Liberal Party (CB:20, 247[8]; T1145.1–4). Mr Pesutto and Ms Crozier attended.
162 At 12.26pm, when he was being driven to Mr Riordan's home, Mr Pesutto recorded a draft press release as an electronic note on his mobile phone, about what he referred to as Mrs Deeming's "resignation", as follows (Ex A40; CC:303):
On Saturday evening, Victorians saw an abomination on the steps of the Victorian Parliament when Nazi protestors engaged in an affront to the values we should all hold dear as Victorians.
The violence, prejudice and hate that these protestors conveyed by their odious actions will never be acceptable in our state. I condemn them and commit to opposing such hate wherever it may exist.
This afternoon, I met with Moira Deeming MP to discuss the events of Saturday.
Mrs Deeming assured me that she was not involved in the organisation or actions of the Nazi protestors. I have no reason to doubt Mrs Deeming's account.
Nevertheless, following our discussion, Mrs Deeming tendered her resignation as a member of the Parliamentary Liberal Party. I believe this was an appropriate step for her to take and obviates the need to explore alternatives.
The Liberal Party I joined, and which I am now honoured to lead, must strive to represent all Victorians.
