Inside the betrayal that drove MP Moira Deeming to fight for the protection of ... trends now
She was the mother of four who unwittingly became the face of Nazi hatred against the transgender community.
But on the back of a nasty smear campaign by her political masters, Moira Deeming has not only survived a bungled attempt to expel her from the Liberal Party, she has emerged as a poster girl for the protection of ordinary women's rights.
Now, some of those closet to Ms Deeming have given Daily Mail Australia a glimpse of what makes her tick - and revealed why the controversial MP is more determined than ever to stick to her values.
Moira Deeming (centre) arrives at the Parliament of Victoria in Melbourne on Monday. She walked with a suspension, but will be free to continue her mission to protect the rights of women and children
Liberal party MP Moira Deeming on March 21 when party leaders turned against her in an ill-advised witch hunt
Victorian Liberal leader John Pesutto had wanted the MP expelled from the party after she appeared at a Let Women Speak rally that was gatecrashed by neo-Nazis on March 18.
But the hatchet job spectacularly failed.
Instead of being dumped from the party, Ms Deeming has been suspended from the party room for nine months.
Political insiders say the suspension might actually allow Ms Deeming - who represents Victoria's Western Metropolitan Region - to spend more time concentrating on her job.
'She won't have to attend their meetings, which is in itself a blessing,' a source said on Tuesday.
It is understood Ms Deeming is now taking time off to enjoy a holiday with her family while the dust from Mr Pesutto's botched takedown attempt settles.
She declined to comment when contacted by Daily Mail Australia on Tuesday.
Activist Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull addresses Melbourne women on March 18. Moira Deeming is pictured to her left
Neo-Nazi leader Thomas Sewell caused outrage when he and his cohorts turned-up at the Let Women Speak rally
Melbourne Nazis gate crashed the Let Women Speak rally in March. Their attendance saw Moira Deeming wrongly branded a Nazi sympathiser
Born to dedicated and loving parents in Pakenham Upper - 53 km south-east of Melbourne's CBD - Ms Deeming lived a somewhat disjointed life after their divorce and eventually landed across Port Phillip Bay in Melbourne's western suburbs in her teenage years.
With a passion for education, Ms Deeming went about studying and becoming a teacher, which she did for more than a decade before being inspired to join her local council in Melton.
She began life as a left-leaning Labor supporter, which those that know her say are values she continues to hold today.
'She basically became a Liberal because they were far more democratic in their internal structure and had the ability to speak up and have different opinions,' a friend of Ms Deeming said.
'I think Moira was sad at how the Labor Party had become an echo chamber where you can't talk about things. And that's sad for the vast majority of Labor voters because they have identical views to her.'
Mr Pesutto's attempt to boot Ms Deeming from the party forced her to reveal intimate details of her formative
