Matt Johnston: Clouds set to hang over Labor post-election
WITH 38 days until the state election, and less than four weeks until early voting begins, police have started to call in Daniel Andrews’ MPs for a chat about a 2014 campaign rort, writes Matt Johnston.
Opinion
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THIS is shaping as a nightmare scenario for Daniel Andrews.
With 38 days until the state election, and less than four weeks until early voting begins, police have started to call in his MPs for a chat about a 2014 campaign rort.
I suppose the timing could technically be worse.
Most people aren’t really focused on the main state political game at the moment, which works in the government’s favour.
OMBUDSMAN SPENT $130K TO PROBE RED SHIRTS SCANDAL
TIMESHEETS SIGNED BY LABOR STAFF SET TO BE PROBED
ARRESTS MADE IN LABOR RORTS FOR VOTES PROBE
It has been desperately trying to focus on core issues — schools and roads and hospitals — and not itself, or the Opposition campaign.
A disquieting peace between most Labor factions is holding like an impenetrable house of cards, and MPs are mainly keeping their heads down.
But the police probe of the rorts-for-votes saga, which has effectively dragged on for three years because of the government’s own actions, is an unpredictable beast.
In August, former ALP staff were subjected to “dawn raids” over their parts in the financial swindle, leading to criticism of investigators by some quarters of the party.
It appears there won’t be any dawn raids on state MPs, although it’s unclear whether criticism of those raids led to any change of tactics.
Police have instead issued polite requests for interviews to the distinguished men and women of the state parliament.
Neither the police, nor the MPs, are saying much about this latest significant development in the unwholesome affair.
Last night, the government would only say: “As this matter is ongoing, it is not appropriate to comment.”
Surely there won’t be any refusals to co-operate, given MPs could face arrest.
More likely, the “matter is ongoing” line is designed to allow the Premier and others to avoid engaging in any meaningful way about the party’s 2014 campaign, in which parliamentary budgets were systematically raided to pay for ALP staff who wore red shirts while campaigning in marginal seats.
The party will try to stay its course towards re-election, which includes staff — paid by the ALP this time — wearing red shirts while campaigning in marginal seats.
State MPs embroiled in the 2014 campaign deny any wrongdoing, certainly at a criminal level anyway, and hope nothing comes of it in the next few weeks.
But a significant problem for Andrews is that even if he brushes off this escalation, and his government is successful at the ballot boxes, he begins a second term with a cloud hanging over him.
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