Power unions UFU and CFMEU locked in war of words over ALP pre-selections and Jane Garrett
TWO of Victoria’s most powerful unions are at loggerheads over the future of former emergency services minister Jane Garrett as the Labor Party allegedly investigates a tweet joking about her murder.
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TWO of Victoria’s most powerful unions are at loggerheads over the future of former emergency services minister Jane Garrett as the Labor Party allegedly investigates a tweet joking about her murder.
The powerful Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union has backed Ms Garrett after the United Firefighters Union urged Labor MPs to kill off a plan that would see her given a seat in state Parliament.
There has long been bad blood between UFU boss Peter Marshall and Ms Garrett after she refused to sign on to a new CFA EBA and comply with Mr Marshall’s demands.
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In a letter to Premier Daniel Andrews, CFMEU Victorian assistant secretary Shaun Reardon detailed his “absolute dismay and frustration” at the personal campaign against Ms Garrett.
He revealed that the Labor Party was investigating an anonymous tweet that joked about Ms Garrett’s murder.
“Since Ms Garrett resigned from her position of Minister of Emergency Services, (more than two years ago), I believe she has been ‘scapegoated’ by certain party members, assaulted near her family home, and is the victim of a misogynistic social media campaign,” Mr Reardon said.
“This campaign saw a tweet recently joking about the murder of Jane Garrett on the very same day that a memorial was being held for the sickening death of young woman Eurydice Dixon.”
Mr Reardon also slammed the UFU’s intervention in the ALP pre-selection battle.
“I am horrified that another party member, and a union leader at that, would threaten to campaign against the return of an Andrews-led government,” Mr Reardon said.
“I implore you to stand strong on party matters with any undertone of misogyny or workplace bullying and to continue your outstanding work in relation to violence against women.”
ALP warlords have been locked in conflict for the past three weeks in a bid to come up with a factional deal that removes the need for a hostile takeover of the federal preselection process by the party’s National Executive.
State Right-wing powerbroker Adem Somyurek has made it clear that any deal over federal preselections must include a seat for Ms Garrett and her Industrial Left grouping.
In recent days, several scenarios have been discussed among Labor MPs.
In one case, Eastern Victoria upper house MP Daniel Mulino MP would take the federal seat of Maribyrnong or the newly created seat of Fraser, and Ms Garrett would shift to his seat.
In another scenario, Ms Garrett could run for the lower house state seat Pascoe Vale, with current MP Lizzie Blandthorn moving to Eastern Victoria and Mr Mulino going to Canberra — or Ms Blandthorn herself taking a federal seat.
But it is understood Senior Victorian Left powerbroker Senator Kim Carr remains opposed to accommodating Ms Garrett, with Mr Marshall now weighing in support.
The UFU has this morning labelled Mr Reardon’s letter “inflammatory”.
“MFB firefighters, all of whom are UFU members, responded to the tragic murder of Eurydice Dixon,” the UFU letter said.
“Additionally, the same MFB crews were also required to attend the sickening act of vandalism that occurred at the community memorial in respect to Eurydice.
“For Shaun Reardon to somehow link the UFU or Peter Marshall, however tenuous, to the vile alleged death threat to Ms Garrett is quite frankly abhorrent.”
The UFU’s branch committee of management then went on to say that it was Mr Marshall who had suffered a “smear campaign”.
In his earlier letter to all state MPs, Mr Marshall said the deal was “a strategic mistake that is not in the interests of working people and Labor supporters”.
The intervention has angered Labor MPs who are tired of the UFU boss’s obsession with Ms Garrett.
“He (the Premier) can start by coming out of the shadows and backing one of the most talented women of his caucus after she was unfairly dumped by a vote which was clearly rorted,” one MP said.
Mr Marshall also warned that Deputy Premier and current Emergency Services Minister James Merlino would struggle to win re-election without UFU support.
“It’s obviously a bridge too far to have Peter Marshall vetoing Labor candidates — the Premier has bent over backwards to please Marshall but enough’s enough,” one MP said.
“The Premier has made it clear privately he has no objection whatsoever to Jane’s preselection as part of the process of healing old wounds and we would hope that Marshall has not been successful in cowering the Premier at this very critical point.”
In his letter Mr Marshall also warned that Deputy Premier and current Emergency Services Minister James Merlino would struggle to win re-election without UFU support.
Furious MPs said on Monday the intervention was a veiled threat to the Premier, and could set off another row shortly before the state election.
But Mr Marshall, speaking on 3AW on Monday, said: “I’m actually trying to assist the ALP”.
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