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Moira Deeming’s recent preselection victory in Melbourne’s west proves that grassroots involvement is vital. In a narrow win for pro-family values, this article highlights why every vote counts in shaping the Liberal Party’s future.

Last week saw sanity prevail in Melbourne’s west.

After losing a preselection contest in March to a ‘moderate’ (a polite euphemism for a left-leaning Liberal), MLC Moira Deeming’s future was thrown into doubt.

Can you imagine the reaction if an incumbent female ‘moderate’ had been defeated by a male conservative?

But somehow, with a state election just months away, party members thought it wise to ditch a sitting MP.

A sitting MP who had just been publicly vindicated in her defamation battle with former Liberal leader John Pesutto.

A sitting MP who is unapologetically pro-family and grounded in biological reality – at a time when the Liberal Party is already struggling to hold its base in the face of One Nation’s rise.

Not exactly strategic thinking.

Then came a remarkable twist.

Mrs Deeming’s opponent resigned just hours after the vote, after it emerged he had provided a character reference for a now-convicted child sex offender.

A new preselection was called. Mrs Deeming stood – and won uncontested.

She will now lead the Liberal upper house ticket in Melbourne’s west.

Sanity prevailed – but only by a series of extraordinary circumstances.

And that brings me to the real point.

In recent weeks, many commentators have blamed “the Liberal Party” for what happened. But that’s not quite right.

At the March preselection, Moira Deeming lost 39 votes to 26 – a margin of just 13 votes.

That’s 13 people. Not “the party”. Not “the system”.

That should tell us something.

If you want better candidates…

If you want MPs with courage and conviction…

If you want a political movement that actually reflects your values…

Then sitting on the sidelines isn’t enough.

These decisions are often being made by very small numbers of people.

So whatever your party of choice, I encourage you to get involved.

Join. Turn up. Vote in preselections. Support good people.

Because as this episode shows, the difference between the right candidate and the wrong one can be as little as a dozen votes.

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Republished with thanks to the Australian Family Coalition. Image from Moira Deeming’s Facebook page.