Federal takeover of Victorian Labor led by Anthony Albanese and Daniel Andrews, court hears

Anthony Albanese and Daniel Andrews have been accused of leading a federal takeover of Victorian Labor in the wake of a branch stacking scandal.

Victorian Labor takeover was led by Anthony Albanese and Daniel Andrews, a court has heard.

A federal takeover of Victorian Labor was a “coup” led by Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese and Premier Daniel Andrews, a court has heard.

Lawyers for former ­Andrews government minister Marlene Kairouz on Thursday attacked the fallout from the branch-stacking scandal that rocked Labor in June last year, which saw state members and unions lose voting rights.

Ms Kairouz was one of three ministers stood down from cabinet over the affair after secret recordings were aired which included her and factional powerbroker ­Adem Somyurek.

Steve Bracks and Jenny Macklin were appointed as administrators, with the ­national executive still maintaining control over the state party and preselections for forthcoming elections.

But when the party referred Ms Kairouz to an internal disputes tribunal, she launched a Supreme Court bid to prevent her expulsion and end the takeover.

Kairouz denies she was part of a “significant branch-stacking operation”

John Karkar QC on Thursday referred the court to conversations between senior Labor figures including Mr ­Albanese and Mr Andrews on the morning Mr Somyurek ­resigned from the party.

This included written references to restructuring the Victorian branch in the wake of the allegations.

“They were about to stage a coup, no question,” Mr Karkar said.

“They found an opportunity. The two leaders, between themselves, are staging this takeover.”

Mr Karkar said senior figures in Labor had rushed to rubberstamp the takeover rather than behave like “reasonable people” over the branch-stacking allegations.

He referenced an internal decision in May 2020 to suspend Jasvinder Sidhu from the party and ban him from holding public office over allegations of stacking.

“No one had sat down to think, ‘Are we doing the right thing’?” he said.

“Is it just a knee-jerk reaction? It can be seen that the rules of the party in relation to branch-stacking were working. The national executive ought to have sat up and thought about it, not … in 28 minutes stage a coup.”

Leader of the Opposition, Anthony Albanese. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

Mr Karkar denied Ms Kairouz was part of a “significant branch-stacking operation”, and said recordings played at a meeting with Mr Somyurek and other factional figures did not prove her guilt.

Justice Tim Ginnane is yet to decide whether to allow Labor preselections in Victoria to resume, with Ms Kairouz’s case heard alongside a similar challenge involving affiliated unions. The hearing continues.