Internal Labor Party rift widens over racism claim against minister Marlene Kairouz
Labor Party factional infighting has been inflamed by a racism claim made against government minister Marlene Kairouz over comments she made about Irish people in 2017.
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A racism claim against a government minister has further inflamed the Labor Party’s factional infighting and seen tensions spill over into Daniel Andrews’ parliamentary team.
The move by Socialist Left operatives to accuse Cabinet minister Marlene Kairouz of racism over comments she made about Irish people in 2017 has widened the rift in the Victorian branch.
It also prompted a stern intervention from fellow minister and factional powerbroker Adem Somyurek, causing more headaches for the Premier and his Socialist Left colleagues, who have lost their grip on power internally in recent months.
The SL don't seem to understand that they are in a fight against a grieving Muslim community not another faction. 50 Muslims organizations across Australia are taking Mr Sidhu to court for racial vilification. Message to the SL it’s not ok to vilify Muslims
— Adem Somyurek (@AdemSomyurek) February 21, 2020
The racism claim against Ms Kairouz — who once warned Victorians not to open their doors to people with Irish accents during a spate of scams — is seen to be a tit-for-tat response to the scandal surrounding Socialist Left figure Jasvinder Sidhu.
The party is on the verge of expelling him after the Herald Sun revealed he had been caught on tape disparaging Muslims — comments which were rejected by Mr Andrews.
Ms Kairouz hit back on Friday, telling the Herald Sun she was “deeply troubled” by the racism claim made against her.
“As if Mr Sidhu’s attack on the Lebanese, Turkish and Muslim communities was not enough,” she said.
“The boys in the Socialist Left are acting in solidarity with Mr Sidhu by throwing their weight behind him to attack me the first female Lebanese Australian minister in the Victorian Parliament ... This is not the party I know.”
In a series of tweets on Friday, Mr Somyurek said the retaliation against Ms Kairouz — his factional ally — was “taking the labour movement back a century by trivialising the serious issue of Islamophobia”.
“The SL don’t seem to understand that they are in a fight against a grieving Muslim community not another faction,” he said.
Socialist Left figures claim the coalition of the Industrial Left and Right-aligned unions has been destabilising the party in recent months by stacking branches and targeting sitting MPs.
Tensions boiled over last month when Mr Sidhu was punched at a meeting at his home.
But an Industrial Left bulletin, sent out this week and obtained by the Herald Sun, accused the
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Socialist Left of trying to “justify and explain the racist comments” made by Mr Sidhu.
“Change is difficult for many especially if some feel a power shift. We in the IL are quite prepared to reach out and discuss the changes that are happening in the party. It is a pity that many cannot see that dialogue and respect are always the way forward,” the bulletin said.
A senior Labor figure said the targeting of Ms Kairouz was a “pathetic cheapening” of the racism issue, and that members were shocked by the “brazen and inept” shot at a government minister.
“No one’s going to cop that,” a source said.