Labor dumps branches after bombshell stacking probe
The Labor Party has abolished two Western Sydney branches in response to a damning report into explosive branch stacking allegations first revealed by The Daily Telegraph.
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The Labor Party has abolished two Western Sydney branches in response to a damning report into explosive branch stacking allegations first revealed by The Daily Telegraph.
The party has also slapped strict rules on branches in five suburbs to ensure attendance records aren’t falsified.
The July meeting of the Labor Party’s powerful Administrative Committee resolved to scrap the Granville Central and Granville Day branches as part of the party’s response to an inquiry into alleged branch stacking.
The move to suspend the Granville Central branch was made “in light of ongoing probity issues,” an internal Labor Party report stated.
A damning report handed to the party in March concluded that attendance records for that branch had been falsified.
Separately, the party also dissolved the Granville Day branch, “in light of events that took place on 16 June 2020”.
That’s despite the Granville Day branch not being investigated as part of the former Queensland Labor boss Evan Moorhead’s branch stacking review.
Labor sources told The Daily Telegraph that people linked to the branch lodged a complaint to head office on June 16 about the Moorhead review. The complaint alleged the report was too soft on elected officials named as having broken party rules.
Granville MP Julia Finn was named in the report as having breached party rules by signing an attendance book after a meeting had concluded, but no actions were recommended against her.
Labor sources alleged scrapping the Granville Day branch was “payback” for the complaint, with one describing the move as “appalling”.
Labor HQ did not say why action was taken against the Granville Day branch.
Strict rules have also been placed on branches five western Sydney suburbs.
For attendance records to be considered valid, secretaries of branches in Granville, South Granville, Merrylands, Guildford and Guildford West must send photos to head office on the day of a meeting, to prove they are following the rules.
Labor HQ refused to comment yesterday. A party spokesman said: “we will not be commenting on internal party matters that are the subject of a continuing investigation”.
Ms Finn resigned from Labor’s frontbench two days after the findings of the Moorhead review were revealed by The Daily Telegraph, but has maintained she did not do anything wrong.
She has asked the party’s appeals tribunal to examine the matter, but this has not yet occurred.
“I would welcome them dealing with it sooner rather than later,” she said yesterday.
Labor Leader Jodi McKay yesterday stood by her sidelined MP pending the appeals hearing.
“Julia Finn has maintained her innocence and I have no reason not to believe her,” Ms McKay said.
“She is an incredibly hard working, active and enthusiastic local member, and is very highly regarded in her community.”
Ms Finn questioned whether she had broken party rules at the Granville Central meeting, because she is not a member of that branch.
Originally published as Labor dumps branches after bombshell stacking probe