Former Victorian opposition leader John Pesutto served bankruptcy notice

John Pesutto has accepted a bankruptcy notice served to him, as the consequences of Liberal colleague Moira Deeming’s successful defamation action against him continue to play out.

Two sources close to the proceedings confirmed that the official notice had been served on the former state opposition leader on Friday.

Deeming successfully took Pesutto to Federal Court, which in December ruled he defamed her five times after a “Let Women Speak” rally she helped organise in March 2023. The rally also drew accusations of being anti-transgender, which Deeming denies.

That rally was unexpectedly gatecrashed by neo-Nazis, and the court agreed with Deeming that in the aftermath, Pesutto defamed her as a Nazi sympathiser.

Last month, a court ordered Pesutto to pay Deeming $2.3 million in legal costs by Friday, May 30, a deadline which he missed.

Only about one-third of the money has been raised, including $212,000 via crowdfunding – and about $4000 of that in the past week.

Under Australian bankruptcy law, Pesutto now has 20 days to either pay the $2.3 million in full or come to an arrangement where he can pay in instalments.

Deeming’s lawyers have previously said they plan to pursue third parties for costs if Pesutto is left bankrupt – including former premiers Jeff Kennett, Denis Napthine and Ted Baillieu and serving MPs Georgie Crozier and David Southwick.

On Wednesday, crowdfunding organiser Elizabeth Sceney announced she was pausing further donations, saying she was “hopeful now of a favourable outcome for John”.

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