Luke Foley flies home from family holiday for urgent talks about NSW Labor Party crisis

EMBATTLED Labor leader Luke Foley has lashed out at criticism he has become a “faceless” party leader while declaring he will be leading the party to the next election.

Pictured is NSW Opposition Leader Luke Foley at home in Concord today. Picture: Tim Hunter.

EMBATTLED Labor leader Luke Foley has lashed out at criticism he has ­become a “faceless” party leader while declaring he will be leading the party to the next election.

With his party in crisis and facing questions over his leadership, Mr Foley flew home from the north coast where he had been holidaying with his wife and three children to attend urgent talks with new ALP boss Kaila Murnain at his home in Concord yesterday.

Ms Murnain, 29, replaced disgraced NSW general secretary Jamie Clements who bowed to pressure to resign last week in the wake of allegations he harassed female staffer Stefanie Jones.

Mr Clements has always denied the claims and was not charged with an ­offence following a police investigation.

With the leader nowhere to be seen last week, Labor sources described Mr Foley as everything from “faceless” to the invisible man. “It’s time to attack Mike Baird,” one source said.

Mr Foley said his lack of contact “with journalists” was not indicative of his work behind the scenes three years out of a state election.

Despite taking his first long family holiday since taking on the top job a year ago, Mr Foley said he had been working with Labor figures and Mr Clements to resolve the crisis.

“I won’t apologise for taking a family holiday after 12 months as party leader. Our three kids are young — 9, 7, 6 — and they haven’t seen a huge amount of me over the last 12 months.

Luke Foley with Labor’s new state secretary Kaila Murnain. Picture: Tim Hunter

“I was in touch with the party president, with my deputy Linda Burney, who was acting as leader, with Jamie Clements, and with Kaila all last week.”

Mr Clements, who was accused of trying to kiss Ms Jones in the Parliament House office of her employer, Campbelltown MP Greg Warren, helped install Mr Foley as leader.

While Mr Clements denied the allegations, Mr Foley said his position had become untenable. “The situation couldn’t drag on any further,” he said.

Since replacing John Robertson a year ago, Mr Foley’s own ratings in the opinion polls have fallen below his predecessor’s. The latest Newspoll shows he is preferred by just 15 per cent of voters, compared with Mr Baird’s 58 per cent.

The result triggered a new round of speculation that leadership key rival ­Michael Daley or newcomer Chris Minns may be able to woo enough concerned MPs to launch a challenge — commentary Mr Foley brushed aside.

“It’s always been the case that this government will be accountable for the delivery of its massive promises in the back end of this term — there is well over three years before the next state election,” he said.

As for Mr Daley, Mr Foley denied claims he was planning to dump the ­Maroubra MP from the frontbench in the upcoming reshuffle.

“My frontbench has five fewer members than the Baird Cabinet and, at some point this year, I will be promoting a number of young and enthusiastic Labor MPs,” he said.

Ms Murnain, a former staffer of Mr Daley, said Mr Foley had her full support.

“The whole party is looking forward to getting back to fighting the Liberals and refocusing on the year ahead,” she said.