Labor MP resigns from key post after IBAC evidence

A federal MP who admitted to branch stacking in Victoria has resigned as the deputy chair of a powerful parliamentary committee.

Federal Labor MP ­Anthony Byrne has resigned as the deputy chair of the powerful parliamentary intelligence and security committee after a week of controversy over his role in the party’s branch-stacking scandal.

Labor leader Anthony ­Albanese has been under pressure to take action against the Victorian MP since he admitted to branch-stacking and misusing taxpayer-funded ­resources at the bombshell IBAC inquiry on Monday.

On Thursday afternoon, Mr Byrne resigned from the committee after years of work on national security legislation, which earned him respect from both opposition and government MPs.

While committee chair and Liberal senator James Paterson had backed him to stay on, Mr Byrne said he was resigning because the work of the committee was “crucial to Australia’s national security and its integrity should never be questioned”.

Anthony Byrne has resigned as the deputy chair of the powerful parliamentary intelligence and security committee. Picture: Mick Tsikas

“I have always put the work of this bipartisan committee first and have always served in its best interests,” he said.

“I would like to thank my colleagues on the committee for the work we have done to protect Australia’s national ­security. I will continue to fully co-operate with the IBAC inquiry and will not be making further comment while proceedings are under way.”

Mr Albanese thanked him for his “important contributions” to the committee. He nominated NSW senator Jenny McAllister to replace him as the deputy chair, with Victorian MP Peter Khalil to join the committee as its new member.

Earlier on Thursday, federal crossbench MPs turned up the heat on the Opposition Leader to refer Mr Byrne to the ­Department of Finance to be investigated.

But Mr Albanese maintained Mr Byrne was not getting “special treatment”, and he would wait to see the outcome of the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission’s probe before acting.

Anthony Byrne giving evidence to IBAC.

He said he had not spoken to the Victorian MP since he gave evidence earlier this week, when he was commended by IBAC for his testimony.

“While people are appearing before a judicial body, the idea that the political leader will ring them and have a conversation with them while they’re giving evidence is entirely inappropriate,” Mr Albanese said.

“These issues will be dealt with. But they won’t be dealt with while there’s an inquiry going on.”

“I welcome this IBAC inquiry. The IBAC inquiry, indeed the commissioner, praised Mr Byrne for his honesty and the role that he’s played in the hearings. All I have said is we’ll wait while the hearings are going on.”

The Department of Finance is responsible for assessing whether MPs have appropriately used taxpayer-funded resources.

Senator Jacqui Lambie said a referral in relation to Mr Byrbe would not go far enough, but it was the only mechanism available to Mr ­Albanese at a federal level.

“The Department of Finance reviewing this stuff is like fairy floss on a stick — just a tick and flick when things get sticky. I wouldn‘t be starting or ending there,” she said.

“That said, it’s in Mr Albanese’s interests to turn over every stone and figure out what’s gone on here.

South Australian senator Rex Patrick said it was disturbing Mr Albanese had not yet referred the claims made at IBAC.

“When a prima facie case emerges of misuse of public funds, irrespective of who is ­alleged to have engaged in that misuse, it should be properly investigated,” he said.

“It would disturb me if Mr Albanese took a different view. The decision time for him to make a referral in these circumstances should be less than a millisecond.”

SOMYUREK LASHES OUT AT A FORMER STAFFER

Earlier, former Andrews government minister Adem Somyurek lashed out at a former staffer after damaging testimony to the state’s corruption watchdog.

Adam Sullivan on Wednesday told IBAC as much as $14,000 worth of stamps was purchased using Mr Somyurek’s electorate office budget, but “re-routed” to support campaign material for Mordialloc MP Tim Richardson’s 2018 election campaign.

In a statement on Wednesday night, Mr Richardson denied engaging in branch stacking or misusing electorate office budgets.

On Thursday, Mr Somyurek took to Twitter to attack the former employee.

Mr Somyurek said he had a “traumatic and sleepless night” after hearing Mr Sullivan’s evidence.

He also claimed he would ask parliamentary services to audit his office expenditure.

It comes as party insiders revealed a peace deal struck in 2002 to pause Labor branch stacking in Melbourne’s southeast could not have worked without the agreement of Premier Daniel ­Andrews.

Former Adem Somyurek staffer Adam Sullivan.

Former MP Adem Somyurek. Picture: Tony Gough

It is understood the deal, which federal Labor MP Anthony Byrne revealed in evidence to Victoria’s corruption watchdog on Monday, was an informal arrangement he struck without documentation with Socialist Left powerbroker and federal MP Alan ­Griffin.

A Labor source with knowledge of the agreement said it “couldn’t have been done” ­unless the now Premier — who was elected to parliament in the same year — backed its implementation.

Mr Somyurek told the Herald Sun on Tuesday he and Mr Byrne had negotiated the agreement with Mr Andrews and Mr Griffin to “end the stacking wars”.

“The Premier and I had long experience of these wars on different sides of the factional divide,” he said.

Mr Andrews, who started his political career in Mr Griffin’s electorate office, again refused to address his role in the agreement on Wednesday.

He claimed any answers about his conduct when he was a party official could affect the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission’s investigation, which would be “deeply inappropriate”.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews refused to address his role in the agreement. Picture: David Crosling

“Thank you for the invitation to conduct an IBAC inquiry between you and I, that’s not what’s going to happen here,” Mr Andrews told a reporter at his daily Covid press conference.

“I am not entering into a debate with Mr Somyurek or anyone about matters that are being canvassed at IBAC. I’ve been very clear about this.”

Asked to directly answer the question, Mr Andrews said: “The way this works is, you ask the questions and then I’ll answer them. You don’t get to ask and answer your own questions. I’ve provided you with an answer.”

Mr Byrne told IBAC the agreement was “quite successful” in stopping branch stacking in the southeastern suburbs. One Labor insider said it provided years of stability for Mr Andrews, Mr Somyurek and Luke Donnellan – who this week quit cabinet over branch stacking claims – after they were all elected to parliament in 2002.

But a Left source said stacking activity had continued in some areas. In 2006, Mr Griffin survived a preselection ballot by one vote, while Socialist Left member Dale Wilson lost his seat of Narre Warren South to the Right’s Judith Graley.

Mr Andrews said he had not paid much attention to the IBAC hearings, as he was ­focused on reopening the state.

But when asked if he would front IBAC if called, Mr ­Andrews said: “It’s not a matter of whether I’m prepared to. Ultimately everybody should co-operate if they’re asked to”.

Opposition Leader Matthew Guy said revelations of the Labor Party’s misuse of public resources uncovered by the state’s anti-corruption watchdog this week were “really concerning”.

“It’s the culture that’s been led to establish itself in this government,” Mr Guy said.

“I think all Victorians look at it with great shock to see that people’s money has been misused in this way, and government staff have been used in ways that have been as the Ombudsman found some years ago to be completely inappropriate,” he said.

“That’s a terrible misuse of people’s money.”

It comes after the IBAC heard findings made in the wake of the state government’s 2015 red shirts scandal did not deter Labor MPs from abusing public funds and engaging in party political work on taxpayer time and money.

The Herald Sun uncovered Labor MPs were diverting hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars to help fund campaign staffers during the 2014 state election in which Premier Daniel Andrews was elected.

“I would have thought the Ombudsman’s report, which was pretty comprehensive, would have been enough to discourage anyone in any political party from acting in that way,” Mr Guy said.

Originally published as Labor MP resigns from key post after IBAC evidence