Western Metropolitan MP Kaushaliya Vaghela supports Adem Somyurek’s ‘red shirts’ motion

Daniel Andrews has said a Labor MP told colleagues she would resign from the party after she crossed the floor to vote for a new probe into the “red shirts” scandal.

Labor MP Kaushaliya Vaghela has told colleagues she would resign from the party, Daniel Andrews has revealed.

The Western Metropolitan MP sparked chaos in the Victorian parliament after sensationally crossing the floor on Wednesday and voting to have the Andrews government’s infamous “red shirts” scandal reinvestigated.

Ms Vaghela faces expulsion for breaking party rules after delivering the deciding vote on Wednesday in a motion put forward by former Labor powerbroker Adem Somyurek calling for the probe, as MPs are expected to vote along party lines – except if permitted a conscience vote.

It is the first time a Labor politician has crossed the floor since Premier Daniel Andrews first swept to power in 2014.

The upper house motion was supported by the opposition and nine of the upper house’s 12 crossbench MPs but needed the vote of Ms Vaghela to pass.

If she is kicked out of the party, Ms Vaghela could join the crossbench and make it more difficult for the government to pass legislation in an election year.

Labor MP Kaushaliya Vaghela crossed the floor in Wednesday’s vote. Picture: Facebook

“I haven’t been told that (she would resign) but I understand colleagues of mine have been told that. That’s entirely a matter for her,” the Premier said on Thursday morning.

“I wasn’t entirely surprised but to be honest I’m not here to talk about that person or the events in the upper house yesterday (on Wednesday).

“I’m far too busy. I’m not sworn in to be a commentator, I’m sworn in to get on and get things done and that’s what I do every single day.”

Asked if Ms Vaghela would be kicked out of the party if she didn’t resign of her own accord, Mr Andrews said: “The rules of the party are very clear but let’s wait and see if that’s necessary. If she’s already resigned, there’ll be no need for us to deal with that issue”.

Mr Andrews said he couldn’t “totally recall” when he last spoke to Ms Vaghela.

He added that he didn’t see the vote in the Legislative Council because he was in a meeting at the time.

“I think I was in a meeting at the time, working on keeping the state safe, actually, yeah, doing my job,” he said.

Premier Daniel Andrews says he hasn’t spoken with Adem Somyurek since he sacked him. Picture: Getty Images

Mr Andrews rejected questions about whether he was concerned that other close factional allies of Mr Somyurek, including Marlene Kairouz, could take similar action.

“I think it’s very unfair to be speaking about Marlene in those terms … She’s away on leave because her family have endured a terrible, terrible tragedy,” he said.

“I think it’s completely unfair to be describing, or almost insinuating, that this is something that she would do.”

It comes as Mr Andrews continued his stubborn refusal to address any questions about his former Minister Adem Somyurek.

“I won’t be having a debate with him. My position has been very clear. I will not debate that person about any issue, ever. And I’ve had no change of heart,” he said.

The Premier said he hadn’t spoken with Mr Somyurek since “probably the day that I sacked him”.

“Just to be clear, I reckon the last time I spoke to him was the day that I sacked him. Shortly thereafter he went out and said that he’d actually resigned. He didn’t, I sacked him,” he added.

Adem Somyurek moved a motion to refer the Andrews government’s infamous ‘red shirts’ scandal to the corruption watchdog. Picture: David Geraghty

Ms Vaghela is a close ally of Mr Somyurek, who successfully moved the motion in the upper house that would require Ombudsman Deborah Glass to reconsider the rort matter with the view to referring it the state’s anti-corruption watchdog.

The motion also called for her to consider an expanded investigation taking in taxpayer-funded staffers performing factional work, the misuse of government funding for branch-stacking activities and political appointments in the public service.

A Victorian Ombudsman spokesman said Ms Glass would consider the referral.

“Under section 16 of the Ombudsman Act, the Victorian parliament – the Legislative Council, Legislative Assembly or a parliamentary committee – can refer any matter to the Ombudsman to investigate,” he said.

“Should the Ombudsman receive a referral, she will determine how any investigation will be conducted and will report to parliament in due course.”

A government spokeswoman said: “Anything referred to the Ombudsman is a matter for her.”

The “red shirts” rort resulted in almost $388,000 in taxpayers’ money spent on part-paying electorate staff to campaign for the 2014 election.

Mr Somyurek has described the rort as “the biggest political scandal of Victoria’s history”.

The parliament can’t refer matters to the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission, but the resolution could force the hand of the Ombudsman and prompt a fresh investigation that would embroil current and former Labor staffers in a potentially damaging public inquiry.

Opposition Leader Matthew Guy says it is ‘concerning’ there hadn’t been an investigation into the red shirts scandal. Picture: Ian Currie

Mr Somyurek says the Ombudsman is legally bound to refer the matter to IBAC because of the systemic corruption that underpinned the rort.

Almost two dozen MPs, including several ministers, were embroiled in the scandal that misused taxpayer dollars to pay for political campaigning.

It led to a damning Ombudsman’s report and a lengthy police investigation but no charges were laid.

Fighting to secure support for the motion, Mr Somyurek said Labor lawyers told MPs not to co-operate with a police investigation.

“We (Labor MPs collectively) acted corruptly, and then we did not co-operate with the Ombudsman’s inquiry and the various police investigations because the Labor Party lawyers told us not to,” he said in a leaked email to MPs. “There is a reason why red shirts does not go away and that is because it was wrong, and we knew it.”

After being elected in 2018, Ms Vaghela was dumped from her upper house ticket for the upcoming election in December in a bloody factional war.

Reason Party's Fiona Patten says she believes Mr Somyurek is attempting to ‘seek revenge’ by launching the motion. Picture: Andrew Henshaw

During a separate IBAC probe last year focused on the Moderates faction, Ms Vaghela admitted that her husband may have been performing factional work out of electorate offices – including Mr Somyurek’s.

Ms Vaghela on Wednesday said the Premier’s Socialist Left faction and other groups needed to be examined. “I was a former staff member for the Socialist Left faction, so I know all about their branch-stacking activities and their electorate officers being used for factional purposes,” she said.

“If branch stacking and factional operatives working in electorate officers (sic) is corruption, then the Socialist Left and all the other factions must be investigated.

“Branch stacking is endemic in the ALP, and I understand it has been for decades.

“Therefore, what happened at IBAC was a grave injustice because it was discriminatory.”

Opposition Leader Matthew Guy said the “extraordinary” events showed the state government was distracted.

“They are focusing again on themselves,” he said.

“I hope that more than anything else, that this matter is solved, that any corruption issues are dealt with and are managed and that Victorians can get a government that is focused on them.”