Warring factions in Victorian Labor set to sign first stability deal in major upheaval for party power
Labor’s warring Victorian factions are on the cusp of signing a historic stability deal in an upheaval that has sidelined some of the party’s biggest powerbrokers.
Victoria
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Labor’s warring Victorian factions are on the cusp of signing a historic stability deal in an upheaval that has sidelined some of the party’s biggest powerbrokers.
The Sunday Herald Sun can reveal a new peace pact, the first of its kind in almost a decade, is imminent and is set to rewrite the balance of power within the party in Victoria.
Veteran figures were caught off guard over the weekend after learning Labor’s left was about to join an alliance with a group of right-aligned unions, along with a group of rank and file delegates aligned to Deputy Leader Richard Marles, that will help mediate preselection of candidates in the state over the next eight years.
Under the deal, the new federal seat of Hawke would go to the right and is likely to be a pick from the Transport Workers Union who have signed on to the agreement.
The stability arrangement has been signed by about 65 per cent of the party, including Acting Premier James Merlino’s Shop Distributive and Allied Employee’s Association.
Among those understood to have rubber-stamped the deal are the SDA and TWU on the right and the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union, the Electrical Trades Union and the Australian Services Union on the left.
But other right-aligned groups linked to former federal Opposition leader Bill Shorten, such as the Australian Workers Union, have been blindsided by the arrangement.
Party insiders warned of a tense few weeks as those left out decide whether to sign up or spark further internal ructions.
The Industrial Left, which includes the CFMEU and the RTBU, are yet to make a decision.
Former party secretary Sam Rae is in contention for the seat of Hawke but other groups within the faction have stoked tensions by seeking to use party rules to push for a female candidate in the new electorate.
Under the current plan, Victoria Labor is understood to remain within its targets for equal gender representation.
Long-time senator Kim Carr is also facing an uphill battle to hold on to his spot, with the in-principle agreement containing clauses about renewal that could be used to push him out and bring in fresh candidates.
No decisions have yet been made on state seats, with at least two new electorates expected to be created in traditional Labor strongholds during a redistribution.
State government ministers Ingrid Stitt and Lily D’Ambrosio have been part of the negotiations, which have helped consolidate the power of Premier Daniel Andrews by limiting the risk of infighting.
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