The corrupt Victorian government has finally overdone it
As with most governments, a poor opposition allows fraud and contempt
Labor's national executive has seized control of the Victorian branch for up to three years, placed it under the control of administrators and will audit every member, as it moves to clean out the division in the wake of allegations of widespread branch stacking.
The national executive ratified the move on Tuesday night. Party stalwarts Steve Bracks, a former Victorian premier, and Jenny Macklin, a former federal minister from Victoria, will be appointed to administer the branch until at least the end of January. All officials and staff will be required to report to them.
The duo will also conduct an inquiry and recommend new integrity measures.
"The final report should include recommendations on how the Victorian branch should be restructured and reconstituted so that the branch membership comprises genuine, consenting and self-funding party members,'' says a draft of the takeover conditions seen by The Australian Financial Review.
With the status of many members unclear given the branch stacking - which involved people being signed up and their fees paid for them - all members will lose voting rights until 2023.
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In the interim, all preselections for the next state and federal elections will be conducted by the national executive.
The takeover pushed by federal leader Anthony Albanese and Premier Daniel Andrews, follows allegations of widespread branch stacking by now former powerbroker Adem Somyurek. He has been expelled and two other state ministers have resigned.
In a letter from Mr Andrews to ALP national secretary Paul Erickson ahead of the executive meeting , Mr Andrews said the suspension of voting rights was paramount.
"I have no confidence in the integrity in any voting roles that are produced for any internal elections in the Victorian branch,'' he said.
"Accordingly, we must suspend these elections and bring a long and critical process of validating each and every member of the Labor Party in Victoria as genuine, consenting and self-funded.
"I can't accept yet another review that, while well-intentioned, cannot and will not deliver the profound reform that is required."
The effective federal takeover of the Victorian branch diminishes the influence of several powerful ALP figures who are hostile towards Mr Albanese by severely limiting their ability to use party processes to make life hard for the federal leader.
With police and Victoria's corruption body IBAC investigating the allegations, Minister for Consumer Affairs, Gaming and Liquor Regulation Marlene Kairouz became the third minister to stand down in the space of 24 hours on Tuesday, after secret recordings revealed by The Age and 60 Minutes showed she encouraged staff to work on branch-stacking activities with Mr Somyurek, who was sacked on Monday morning.
Victorian assistant treasurer and Minister for Veterans Robin Scott, a factional ally of Mr Somyurek, also quit the cabinet on Monday afternoon following the allegations but will also continue to serve as an MP while investigations by police and IBAC take their course.
The sting that exposed Mr Somurek, a powerbroker who once was a key backer of Bill Shorten, has also raised questions over the role of federal Victorian Labor MP Anthony Byrne and his staff — as some of the hidden camera footage that was obtained appeared to have been shot in his electorate office.
The footage was used to incriminate Mr Somurek.
Mr Byrne has declined to comment but one suggestion floated is that the police or anti-corruption investigators may have already been examining the issue before Mr Andrews referred it on Monday.
Speaking on radio yesterday Mr Albanese told 2GB: “Quite clearly, there has been activity going on, the sting that went on, the tapes. It wasn't just in an office, there are tapes in terms of phone calls.
“Because they're under police investigation, I'll allow those investigations to run their course.”
Former Labor leader Mr Shorten denied any knowledge of Mr Somyurek’s antics.
dedja: Dunno, I’m just an idiot.
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letters?
