Assistant Treasurer Robin Scott resigns from cabinet, Local Government Minister Adem Somyurek quits Labor
A close factional ally of disgraced Victorian Labor MP Adem Somyurek has left the cabinet as the fallout from explosive allegations of branch stacking continues.
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A second minister has left the cabinet amid the damning allegations that saw Premier Daniel Andrews sack disgraced MP Adem Somyurek earlier today.
Assistant treasurer Robin Scott, a close factional ally of Mr Somyurek, has this afternoon resigned from cabinet.
Mr Scott was named in the career-ending 60 Minutes expose on Mr Somyurek amid allegations his staff were involved in branch stacking.
Premier Daniel Andrews said this morning he had been given an assurance by Mr Scott that he had not been involved in any wrongdoing.
In a statement issued today Mr Scott said he was looking forward to clearing his name.
“I am very confident that the investigative process will do so,” he said.
The allegations have been referred to Victoria Police and IBAC for investigation.
Mr Scott said he didn’t want the investigation to be a burden on his young family or distract from the work of the government.
“I have therefore notified the Premier that I will stand aside from my Ministerial responsibilities, and I have notified the Governor of the resignation of my commission, effective immediately,” he said.
‘I will continue to serve my electorate of Preston to the best of my ability, and I remain grateful to have the privilege of doing so.”
The resignation clears the way for Mr Andrews to elevate his parliamentary secretary Danny Pearson to the ministry.
Mr Andrews said today Mr Pearson would take over the portfolios Local Government and Small Business Minister left vacant by Mr Somyurek.
But his elevation to the ministry looked in doubt because of a limit on the number of ministers allowed to be appointed from each house of parliament.
Section 50 of the Constitution Act 1975 establishes that the number of ministers may not exceed 22 with no more than six drawn from the upper house and no more than 17 drawn from the lower house.
Including the Premier, the current Victorian ministry is made up of 17 members of the lower house meaning a significant reshuffle could be required to elevate Mr Pearson.
The father of five was elected as the Member for Essendon in 2014 and has served as the Chair of the Public Accounts and Estimates Committee and most recently as Parliamentary Secretary to the Premier.
“Those portfolios are critically important, having the full complement in the cabinet room is critically important and I am confident that he will do an outstanding job, not only as a good servant of his community, but as a fantastic minister,” Mr Andrews said today.
The parliament is due to sit again from tomorrow.
Disgraced MP Adem Somyurek reportedly quit the ALP earlier today, ahead of moves by the national executive to expel him.
It came hours after Mr Somyurek was sacked by Premier Daniel Andrews.
Senior Labor sources have told the Herald Sun Mr Somyurek quit the party this morning.
He was due to be dumped from the Labor Party at a meeting of the National Executive at 12.30pm today.
Labor Leader Anthony Albanese spoke with Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews last night and they agreed it was time for Mr Somyurek to go.
“The Labor Party will be a better party with the removal of this individual,” he said.
Mr Somyurek was a member of the party’s powerful National Executive.
Mr Albanese slammed the former Victorian State Government Minister for his behaviour and his language.
“What we saw last night on 60 Minutes was someone seeking power as an in itself, a corruption of the political process,” Mr Albanese said.
“It has no place in the Australian Labor Party.”
He said Mr Somyurek’s derogatory comments about Victorian Minister for Prevention of Family Violence Gabrielle Williams and the language used to describe members of LGBTI community was “completely inappropriate”.
“There were sexist comments, homophobic, they were completely inappropriate.” Mr Albanese said.
“The comments about the minister responsible for taking action against violence against women in Victoria, Gabrielle Williams, were just breathtaking in their ignorance and in their inappropriateness.”
Mr Albanese said he had not spoken to Federal MP Anthony Byrne yet and he was unaware if recordings used in the explosive 60 Minutes episode were taken in Mr Byrne’s Victorian office.
“I am not aware of all of the details,” Mr Albanese said.
“So in terms of the issues revolving potential conduct, I understand Daniel Andrews has referred all of the issues to the appropriate authorities, including the police. I would have thought that was appropriate.”
Mr Andrews said he sacked Mr Somyurek this morning, before writing to the National Executive of the Australian Labor Party asking that Mr Somyurek’s membership be terminated.
The Victorian Premier said Mr Somyurek was not offered the opportunity to resign, saying he didn’t deserve the opportunity.
“I now regard Mr Somyurek as no longer part of the Victorian parliamentary Labor Party, no longer part of my team,” Mr Andrews said at a press conference this morning.
He described Mr Somyurek’s behaviour as “deplorable” and “shameful”.
Mr Andrews said Attorney General Jill Hennessy had referred allegations levelled at Mr Somyurek to Victoria Police and IBAC for investigation.
“It is my expectation he will be terminated as a member of the Australian Labor Party,” the Premier said.
Danny Pearson has been nominated by Mr Andrews to take over Mr Somyurek’s ministerial roles.
SOMYUREK REJECTS BRANCH STACKING CLAIMS
Mr Somyurek has doubled down on his denial of explosive branch stacking allegations as he continues to deny he was sacked by the Premier.
He returned to his home in Melbourne’s southeast about 10.30am after publicly announcing he had resigned from the Labor ministry.
Asked by the Herald Sun why he lied about his termination, he responded: “I didn’t lie. What are you talking about?”
The disgraced former minister is standing by his claim he did not fake Labor memberships to wield more power within the party.
“That is just absolutely false,” he said when asked about the branch stacking allegations.
Mr Somyurek apologised for his language in the covert recordings which include him calling Minister for Women Gabrielle Williams a “stupid, stupid moll”.
Mr Somyurek said it was “absolutely” wrong that he has been surveilled and will push for a police investigation into the matter.
In an earlier statement, Mr Somyurek said: “The conversations published without my knowledge or consent were with someone who I trusted about internal party matters. There are many robust discussions that occur on any given day in the Labor Party across all factions.
“However I accept and take full responsibility for the fact that my language on a number of occasions was simply not appropriate.
“While Ms Williams and I have been at odds factionally for many years, I should not have used the language I did about her and I apologise to her unequivocally.
“Further, I am deeply sorry for language I used regarding highly valued and exceptional young people who are members of the LGBTI community.
“These comments have quite rightly cost me my job.”
Mr Andrews said he would not tolerate such comments or attitudes from any member of his team.
“No Victorian should be tolerated if they hold those sorts of views about women and against women,” he said.
Mr Somyurek is a member of the party’s powerful national executive.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the scandal was “very concerning”, and that the Labor Party had “a lot of explaining to do”.
EXPLOSIVE TAPES LEAKED
An Andrews Government minister has been caught calling a fellow minister a “f---ing stupid bitch” and “moll”, vowing he would get her out of the ministry.
In secret recordings, ALP heavyweight and Local Government Minister, Mr Somyurek boasted “f--k the Premier … I’ll be just running the joint”.
The covert recordings were aired on 60 Minutes in a report which also alleged he paid for ALP memberships and engaged in widespread branch stacking.
He also boasted that he would decide who was the next premier.
The show alleged that in a secretly recorded video of Mr Somyurek, he could be heard speaking in Turkish asking a man to forge signatures on an ALP membership form.
In one recording played on the show Mr Somyurek is heard to say: “F--k the Premier. Alright? That’s what this is about. F--k the premier. I’ll be just running the joint, like, it’s who I say is going to be the f--king premier,” he is heard saying.
In another he is heard threatening the career of Victoria’s Prevention of Family Violence Minister, Gabrielle Williams.
“I will f---ing force her out of the ministry, that f---ing stupid bitch, when Andrews goes … She’s a stupid, stupid moll,” he says. “I’m going to f---ing knock her f---ing head off. She’s a f---ing psycho bitch.”
At another point Mr Somyurek was heard belittling Young Labor members as “real little f--king slimy little f--kers, right … little passive aggressive f--king gay kids …”
The program accused Mr Somyurek of large scale branch stacking and paying for memberships, in a bid to boost his influence inside the ALP.
Federal Labor leader Anthony Albanese has vowed “swift action” will be taken against embattled Victorian party powerbroker Adem Somyurek this morning.
Mr Albanese held talks with Premier Daniel Andrews late last night, and said Mr Andrews was not “interested in tolerating this behaviour”.
He slammed Mr Somyurek’s “quite extraordinary” comments about his Labor colleagues including Womens Minister Gabrielle Williams, and said it was “sad” that he was “driven to power for its own sake”.
Mr Albanese said Mr Somyurek had brought the Labor Party into disrepute, and did not rule out action to expel him.
He claimed he had “barely met the bloke”, but said his conduct would “further undermine people’s confidence in the political system”.
“I have zero tolerance for any corrupt or inappropriate behaviour,” he said.
Opposition leader Michael O’Brien said he should be immediately stood down.
“This shows the Andrews Labor Government is corrupt to the core; working to keep themselves in power rather than working for Victorians,” Mr O’Brien said.
“It is clear that the law has been broken and crimes have been committed. If Labor Ministers and MPs don’t go to jail as a result of this, Victorians can have no faith in the justice system under Labor.
“All Labor Ministers and MPs involved in this scandal must be immediately stood down pending a full investigation into these corruption allegations.”
In 2015 Mr Somyurek was forced to resign from Cabinet over a report found that he gently shook the chin of his former chief of staff, Dimity Paul.
Ms Paul also accused her former boss of intimidating and threatening behaviour.
Mr Somyurek continues to deny claims that he touched Ms Paul on the face and told investigators that the accusations she made were “false”, instead blaming the allegations on a union revenge plot.
He returned to the cabinet in 2018.
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