Retiring Broadmeadows MP Frank McGuire lashes Labor on way out

Frank McGuire has given Labor a spray, accusing his own party and its factional powerbrokers of unfairly targeting him.

Retiring Broadmeadows MP Frank McGuire has slammed his own party. Picture: Jake Nowakowski

Retiring government MP Frank McGuire has slammed the ALP on his way out, saying the party is facing a “moment of truth for its values and integrity”.

Mr McGuire, who replaced former Premier John Brumby in the safe-Labor seat of Broadmeadows in 2011, said he had been unfairly targeted by the party’s factional powerbrokers.

Mr McGuire was at the wrong end of a factional carve-up of state seats in December, with Kathleen Matthews-Ward picked to run for Broadmeadows at the 2022 election.

A national takeover of the state party, prompted by revelations of widespread branch-stacking in 2020, led to a raft of current members being disendorsed through a vote of the national executive.

Mr McGuire unsuccessfully lobbied to save his seat.

“The ALP national executive’s intervention into preselections for Victoria’s upcoming election was never meant to target a sitting MP like me who had nothing to do with branch stacking or the red shirts controversy,” he said in a valedictory speech on Tuesday.

“As the first person raised in Broadmeadows to represent this community in the Victorian parliament, I felt obliged to confront the so-called faceless men and women, telling them I joined a cause, not a gang, and reminding them Australia’s oldest political party was founded to fight for the powerless and the poor, too often done over in secret deals behind closed doors.

“I have long championed the cause to change politics through needs-based funding and performance-based MPs.”

Frank McGuire with now-deputy Premier Jacinta Allan at Broadmeadows Station in 2018. Picture: Hamish Blair

Mr McGuire accused the party of manipulating the preselection process to falsely link him to an Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission probe into branch stacking.

“This was wrong, misled the public and damaged my reputation,” he said.

“The subsequent IBAC report has proved the faction under investigation was branch-stacking in Broadmeadows against me.

“The national executive refused to meet me before casting their votes. The factional deals were done. I was disendorsed because I was outside the new controlling factional power alliance.

“Performance, results and big-picture ideas did not count, because Broadmeadows is a safe seat, too valuable in the eyes of factional powerbrokers not to control in a numbers game with a winner-takes-all sense of entitlement.

“This sends a disturbing message to the next generation of community advocates who are independently minded and forthright. It also denies democracy.”

Mr McGuire was re-elected in 2018 with a primary vote of 68.28 per cent, higher than any other candidate.

“I was elected representing the ALP and would only stand at November’s election under that banner, despite the number of people urging me to stand as an independent,” he said.

“ The ALP confronts a moment of truth for its values and integrity with its truest believers.”

Mr McGuire was originally selected by the national executive to replace former premier John Brumby in the seat of Broadmeadows.

The decision triggered a court battle calling for members to be given the right to choose a candidate.

He won the resulting by-election.