Bill Shorten working on secret deal with CFMEU in a bid to secure leadership
BILL Shorten is working on a secret deal with the grubby CFMEU and the hard-core left to secure his leadership in return for giving the union spots in his federal Labor team.
NSW
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BILL Shorten is working on a secret deal with the grubby CFMEU and the hard-core left to secure his leadership in return for giving the union spots in his federal Labor team.
The Daily Telegraph has obtained a leaked working agreement of a deal currently being negotiated between Mr Shorten, the CFMEU’s Victorian Assistant Secretary Shaun Reardon, who is facing blackmail charges, and the Industrial Left (IL), which includes the Maritime Union of Australia, Rail Tram and Bus Union, the Financial Sector Union and the Health and Community Services Union.
A day before the crucial Bennelong by-election last weekend, Mr Shorten met with factional players Adem Somyurek, who was forced to resign from Victorian cabinet over bullying claims two years ago and the Plumbers Union’s Earl Setches as well as factional ally Andrew Landeryou in his office to discuss the agreement, which has not yet been signed.
A key part of the deal Mr Shorten is broking with the militant unions to give them more power in federal Parliament — including a safe seat.
“This agreement replaces the previous ‘Stability Deal’ which allocated held seats to individual factions over many years, fettering the democratic rights of the membership and affiliated trade unions,” it states.
“It is, however, recognised that the IL (which includes a significant number of unions and rank and file members) is not adequately represented in state and federal parliamentary or party structures due to the operation of the Stability Agreements. The IL will also be supported for a safe seat in the round of 2022 federal seat preselections … ”.
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The agreement states its “focus” is to re-elect Bill Shorten, and his Centre Unity (CU) faction, at a federal level.
“The focus of this approach and this Alliance is to ensure a re-elected Andrews Labor Government in Victoria and a Shorten Labor government nationally,” it states.
“Where seats become vacant or new seats created, CU and the IL will support each others’ candidates.”
A Labor source claimed there were plans to move on frontbench Labor MP Jenny Macklin in her seat of Jagajaga and Andrew Giles in Scullin, both in Victoria, as part of the deal.
It comes with the NSW right furious at Mr Shorten’s decision to dump Sam Dastyari from the Senate. The move threatens to rock the stability of his leadership.
A senior NSW ALP source said Mr Shorten’s move against the right by walking away from Mr Dastyari left him vulnerable. “There was no one more loyal to Bill than Sam and now that he’s gone, who is there to hold back the floodgates?” the source said.