183 After a few minutes of further discussion, Mr Southwick asked Mrs Deeming "…[if] the Anti-Defamation Commission … asked … what are your thoughts about the Liberal Party having one of their own associated with these Nazis?" Mr Pesutto interjected, saying "[a]ssociation is a flexible word, and you leave yourself open".
184 Mr Southwick and then Mr Pesutto continued:
DS And it's not the people that marched on the steps, they were–they were the icing on the cake, it was the individuals that you had champagne with who have had selfies with Nazis.
JP So Moira, I think that that option's difficult, I wouldn't say it's impossible but I worry that Matt's right, I don't think it would be believed, but I'd give it chance, but there's nothing we can do tonight, we can't force any outcome on you but I am concerned about the damage that this has done to the party. I'm inclined to think that a resignation's the best thing to do, because it would involve - avoid a whole lot of other, you know, difficult time for the party. But if you really, honestly feel that you could cut yourself away from these people then I'm prepared to look at it but I couldn't give a guarantee that it would be enough. As I said, I would want to think through it, I just think the damage is deep, and it's- we haven't even got through the toughest part of it yet, which is coming.
185 Mrs Deeming then said, "I don't have a problem at all, and I look forward to denouncing Nazism and, I don't know, anything similar and any accusations of paedophilia for the trans community. No problem at all. I don't believe those things … I know it sounds stupid to you, but honestly, I did not read those the way that you have read them, and I'm not arguing with you …"
186 Mrs Deeming then said that "this seems insane to me" and concluded:
[O]f course I don't think that a whole group of people are paedophiles because of their sexuality or gender identity. Of course, I'm not a Nazi and I don't support Nazism. I'm more than happy to condemn all of that. It's just a real shock to me, it's just a real shock to me that those were the ones that you thought were Nazis.
…
I'm not arguing, I'm not arguing. I'm just telling you the truth. I thought you were going to come in here and talk to me about those people in black.
187 The leadership team then left the meeting and returned about 20 minutes later. Mr Pesutto then said that "[w]e've had quite a long discussion where we fleshed through everything" and that "[t]he long and short of it, Moira, is as a group we don't think a statement will work". He continued:
The damage is deep and a statement won't get us there. And what I'm going to do is ask the Party Room to support a motion to remove you from the Parliamentary Party. I'm sorry it's come to this, and it's not done personally. I have to put the team first and
