Opposition Leader Bill Shorten’s authority being tested by messy factional preselection fight
AN internal ALP fight that could see federal preselections cancelled in Victoria is shaping up as a test of Bill Shorten’s authority in his home state.
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AN internal ALP fight that could see federal preselections cancelled in Victoria is shaping up as a test of Bill Shorten’s authority in his home state.
The Labor State Administrative Committee is due to meet on Wednesday in a move that could see the party’s federal preselections referred to its National Executive.
The unscheduled meeting was called after admin failed last week to agree on a timetable for preselections.
The Herald Sun has been told a push to cancel local votes is being heavily backed by Socialist Left powerbroker Kim Carr and his counterpart from the Right, former Senator Stephen Conroy.
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Opposing the push is the grouping associated with Victorian upper house MP Adem Somyurek and the breakaway group from the Socialist Left associated with former Emergency Services Minister Jane Garrett.
Supporters of the move to cancel preselections have told the Herald Sun they believe Mr Somyurek intends to target several sitting Labor MPs — an accusation his supporters deny.
Complicating the fight is a mooted plan for Mr Shorten to switch seats from his electorate of Maribyrnong to the newly created seat of Fraser.
Mr Shorten is committed to seeing all sitting MPs re-endorsed.
A senior Left source said the move to cancel local preselections was coming from people who normally championed rank-and-file ballots.
“Two Left MPs in particular are in deep trouble and they’ve gone from being bastions of democracy to wanting the national executive to save them,” the source said.
“Bill is attempting to keep the peace as much as he can, but the more he tries, the more he upsets some people.”
Another senior Labor source said the move to “call in” preselections was the “last desperate attempt by a couple of dinosaurs” to project power.
“Bill was elected on a platform of empowering rank-and-file members — we doubt that he will be bullied into taking away 14,000 members’ rights to pick their electoral representative.”
Originally published as Opposition Leader Bill Shorten’s authority being tested by messy factional preselection fight