Anthony Byrne tips bucket on own party in ‘political suicide mission’

Anthony Byrne went on a “political suicide mission” to blow the whistle on the man who had become the most powerful force in the Victorian Labor Party.

Labor MP Anthony Byrne effectively ended his own political career. Picture Kym Smith

The text messages flooded in as soon as Labor MP Anthony Byrne began his testimony to Victoria’s corruption watchdog.

“He’s gone,” one colleague said, while another described it as a “political suicide mission”.

IBAC cannot investigate federal parliamentarians. And yet there was Byrne, after 22 years in Canberra, tipping a bucket on his party and effectively ending his own political career.

Ostensibly, his target was Adem Somyurek, the factional powerbroker who started his ascent in Byrne’s electorate office.

But across several hours of evidence, in order to blow the whistle on his former friend, Byrne admitted his involvement in conduct that will disgust voters.

Adem Somyurek. Picture: NCA NewsWire

He used taxpayers’ money to pay staffers he knew weren’t showing up. Those who did often carried out factional operations instead of helping constituents in Melbourne’s southeast.

He spent thousands of dollars renewing party memberships to maintain his powerbase, and held fundraisers to collect cash to fund it.

He collaborated with and enabled Somyurek for two decades.

Since June last year, when bombshell recordings of Somyurek made in Byrne’s office emerged, it was clear Byrne had turned against the man who had become the most powerful force in the Victorian Labor Party.

But Somyurek and his allies were angry Byrne was seen as a whistleblower. They did not understand how he could rat on them without acknowledging his actions. On Monday, Byrne did just that.

“I’ve always been prepared to face political death,” he said.

That moment has arrived.

For someone who has had an esteemed career, particularly with his contribution to national security, it is terrible demise.

In his telling, Byrne began to fall out with Somyurek five years ago.

While his decision to sacrifice himself in a bid to clean up the party is honourable, it does not give him a leave pass for his mistakes.

At the height of Somyurek’s rise in 2018, Daniel Andrews welcomed his “good friend” back into his cabinet. Picture: NCA NewsWire

IBAC may not be able to punish Byrne, but the federal parliament must act. So too must Anthony Albanese, who was too busy skolling beers in Sydney on Monday.

Over the next five weeks, IBAC will try to make the case that crimes have been committed. Counsel assisting Chris Carr, in describing Somyurek’s Moderate Labor faction as IBAC’s “case study”, has made their targets clear.

But this is a fight to be fought not just in the courts, but in the court of public opinion.

From Byrne’s evidence alone, Labor faces claims that its head office turned a blind eye to fraud, that factional influences meant the Department of Parliamentary Services could not be trusted to investigate allegations, and that senior federal MPs knowingly attended events to raise money for branch-stacking.

Byrne may have been embarrassed as he attempted to explain his acquiescence to Somyurek, but he was also ready to face the consequences.

What about Daniel Andrews? At the height of Somyurek’s rise in 2018, the Premier welcomed his “good friend” back into his cabinet.

Andrews has been in the thick of it in Melbourne’s southeast for 25 years. Did it really take him until last year to realise something was wrong?

As for his own actions, Andrews maintains he has always followed party rules.

We’ll see.