By Noel Towell
Victorian Labor’s key election strategist Kosmos Samaras is walking away from his job with the party after an "intense" 14-year career, as a major changing of the guard continues in the party’s backroom operations.
Mr Samaras, who announced his decision on Wednesday afternoon to staff at Labor’s Docklands headquarters, said he was retiring from his life as a party official to help start a political consultancy firm.
Kosmos Samaras after making his big announcement on Wednesday. Credit: Wayne Taylor
The veteran strategist has had a hand in Labor’s efforts at four elections and 12 byelections, and pointed to a three-and-one win-loss record at state polls and an 11-and-1 scorecard in single-seat contests.
Premier Daniel Andrews praised the retiring party official, saying Mr Samaras had played a big role in Labor's recent electoral dominance.
"Kos is a proven campaigner who’s been central to Labor’s success," the Premier said.
"He can be proud of his contribution.
"I thank him and wish him well."
Mr Samaras’ decision to leave his job in January comes as the party continues the process of choosing a new administrative boss after the resignation of state secretary Sam Rae.
Former Northcote byelection candidate Clare Burns is the frontrunner to replace Mr Rae while Nicola Castleman, who directs the party’s campaigning at local council level, is tipped to move into the role vacated by Mr Samaras.
Mr Samaras has always preferred a low public profile but his career has not been free of controversy; he took sole responsibility for the "dictaphone affair" where a voice recorder belonging to a journalist from The Age was taken and the contents used by Labor to create political trouble for then-premier Ted Baillieu.
Mr Samaras said the choice to retire as a party official was a "big decision but it’s the right time" and that he believed he was leaving Labor’s state campaigning machine in an "extremely strong" position.
"I intend to continue to play a role there and work with the new team and the new generation to make sure that much of my corporate memory is transferred over to them so that they’re in a good position to win that election," he said.
The 48-year-old said his career highlight was the thumping 2018 election win that gave Premier and close ally Daniel Andrews a landslide victory and a commanding majority in State Parliament.
"That was the highlight of my career; it was a body of work that took about eight years to develop," Ms Samaras said.
"I was part of a larger team that worked towards that and I think it was the peak of many of our careers and it was the product of a professional outfit that dedicated itself 100 per cent to winning elections."
But Labor’s defeat at the 2017 byelection in Northcote, a seat it had held for decades, was a low point that led to much internal finger-pointing in Labor.
Labor MP Fiona Richardson's death in 2017 created the vacancy, but the Greens claimed victory in the byelection and took the seat from Labor for the first time.
"It was Fiona Richardson’s seat. We wanted to win it for Fiona and her family and we took [the loss] pretty hard," Mr Samaras said.
"It was a low point but it was also a silver lining because we honed the machine that we then saw in 2018, that co-ordinated, multi-level campaigning, outdoor advertising, online, on people’s doorsteps, the whole package.
"That [Northcote] was the test drive and we didn’t change it."
Mr Samaras' new firm Redbridge Group, set up with pollster Simon Welsh, will offer political advice, polling and lobbying services to the progressive side of state and federal politics.