Former minister overshadowing Labor preselection deals

THE future of the former Emergency Services Minister Jane Garrett has emerged as the main sticking point preventing a party-wide deal on the ALP’s federal preselections in Victoria.

THE future of the former Emergency Services Minister Jane Garrett has emerged as the main sticking point preventing a party-wide deal on the ALP’s federal preselections in Victoria.

Party powerbrokers have spent recent days attempting to a nut out a deal that would avoid local votes in federal preselections being cancelled and the decision taken instead by the national executive.

The push is being spearheaded by Socialist Left Senator Kim Carr with the support of former senator Stephen Conroy of the Right. Both are determined to prevent Ms Garrett gaining a seat in the state or federal parliaments.

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Former Victorian Emergency Services Minister Jane Garrett. Picture: David Caird

Ms Garrett was until recently in the Socialist Left with Senator Carr, but this year joined a breakaway group now called the Industrial Left, which is now allied to Right-wing powerbroker Adem Somyurek.

Mr Somyurek has made finding a seat for Ms Garrett — either in Canberra or Spring St — a condition of his support for any deal on preselections.

Under one deal under discussion, state MP Lizzie Blandthorn would vacate the seat of Pascoe Vale for Ms Garrett in return for the federal seat of Maribyrnong, currently occupied by Opposition Leader Bill Shorten, who would move to the new seat of Fraser.

Ms Garrett is currently not preselected anywhere after being defeated in a bid to move from her seat of Brunswick in state parliament’s lower house to a Legislative Council seat.

Senator Kim Carr. Picture: AAP

Senior Victorian Left figures on Tuesday blamed Senator Carr’s opposition to Ms Garrett for splitting their faction. “There’s a way she could have been accommodated,” one ­figure said.

Another Left factional powerbroker said finding a spot for Ms Garrett was the key to factional peace in Victoria. But other Labor figures remain opposed to finding space for Ms Garrett. One source said there was no way she would be parachuted into Pascoe Vale, adding: “The party needs to concentrate on winning elections, not settling scores.”

When asked on Tuesday whether he would support the push for the national executive to take control of the preselection process, Mr Shorten said he was “going to leave the Victorian preselections to the Victorian Labor Party and the Labor Party officials”.

“One thing I will make clear, though, both internally and ­externally — I back my sitting members. If I have got sitting members who want to keep contributing, I want them on the front line,” he said.

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