Federal election 2016: Knives out as ALP stabs popular candidate in the back

LABOR powerbrokers have bumped a farming mother down the party’s NSW Senate ticket in a vain attempt to fast-track another union official into parliament.

LABOR powerbrokers have bumped a farming mother down the party’s NSW Senate ticket in a vain attempt to fast-track another union official into parliament.

The factional fix, made last week by the ALP’s national executive on which Bill Shorten has the casting vote, has enraged some senior Labor figures in NSW.

Farmer, firefighter and mother Vivien Thomson had been preselected in 2014 for the No. 3 position on Labor’s half-Senate ticket, which was considered potentially winnable, although highly unlikely.

Farmer and tipped to be the new NSW Right Labor Senator, Vivien Thomson / Picture: Gary Ramage

However, with the decision by Malcolm Turnbull to call a double dissolution election, Ms Thomson has now been dropped to the outright impossible No. 6 spot on Labor’s full-Senate ticket.

In a backroom deal between members of Labor’s NSW state executive, union leader and vice-president of the NSW ALP, Tara Moriarty was installed ahead of Ms Thomson to No. 5 on the full-Senate ticket behind the four incumbent Labor senators.

On the current primary vote Labor would not be expected to retain any more than four senators from NSW — and, privately, the NSW ALP don’t expect to win the fifth spot.

The stitch-up was part of a long tradition of rewarding party machine careerists in the ALP with Senate spots.

Ms Moriarty was also a member of the ALP’s national executive. An ALP spokesman defended the decision and said the party’s ticket was dominated by women, and most lived outside Sydney.

Ms Thomson was a non-factional regional candidate but was up against factional heavies backing Ms Moriarty, who was believed to have not been originally in contention for a Senate candidacy until the election after next.

Several senior Labor figures said they were appalled at the decision, which was made without a formal meeting of the NSW right faction.

Originally published as Federal election 2016: Knives out as ALP stabs popular candidate in the back