Adem Somyurek: Labor leader Anthony Albanese’s mystery catch-up with disgraced powerbroker

When secret tapes engulfed the career of Adem Somyurek, Labor leader Anthony Albanese declared he “barely met the bloke”. That’s not the case.

When news broke of the secret tapes scandal that engulfed the career of Victorian powerbroker Adem Somyurek, Labor leader Anthony Albanese rushed out to declare he had “barely met the bloke”.

The morning after the 60 Minutes expose, Albanese appeared on national television, quick to suggest he would struggle to recognise the Victorian minister if he saw him on the street.

“I have barely met the bloke,’’ Mr Albanese said.

“No one watching that program outside of Victoria, including my federal colleagues, would have heard of this bloke, it is as simple as that.

“That’s the nature of a backroom guy like this individual.”

Getting caught calling your female colleague “a psycho b*tch” on surveillance tapes will have that effect on those around you. But Mr Albanese’s comments that he barely knew Mr Somyurek raised eyebrows, given that until recently he had sat on the ALP’s national executive with Mr Albanese.

It turns out that Mr Albanese’s engagement with Mr Somyurek extended beyond ALP executive phone hook ups.

News.com.au has confirmed that Mr Albanese met with Mr Somyurek privately over two years ago, at the Hyatt in Melbourne.

The pair caught up one-on-one for a coffee during one of Mr Albanese’s trips to Melbourne to attend a conference in the public area of the hotel.

Some suggest the meeting was organised by Labor MP Anthony Byrne, whose electorate office turned out to be the movie set for 60 Minutes’ clandestine recordings of Mr Somyurek.

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Australian Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese last week. Picture: Lukas Coch

Former MP Adem Somyurek outside his house in Lyndhurst. Picture: Tony Gough

At the time that Mr Albanese enjoyed the private catch-up with the bloke he had “barely met”, he was carefully waiting in the background as leadership speculation swirled around then Labor leader Bill Shorten.

Mr Albanese’s office confirmed the meeting occurred, noting that he is often asked to catch up with people when travelling interstate.

As a Labor frontbencher, Mr Albanese was and is constantly called on to have coffees, lunches and dinners with all manner of Labor types.

For his part, Mr Somyurek declined to discuss what he spoke to Mr Albanese about, although both men confirm they did meet.

“Private meetings should remain private,’’ Mr Somyurek told news.com.au.

Former Opposition leader Bill Shorten last week in Canberra. Picture: Sam Mooy

Mr Albanese has rejected suggestions that the influence of the powerbroker he met for coffee at the Hyatt extended outside of Victoria.

“No. None whatsoever. This guy, his activities are really confined to Victoria,’’ he told 3AW.

“He was a member of the National Executive for a short period of time but never made a contribution to that body.”

But speculation continues to swirl over who stands to gain from the federal takeover of the Victorian branch and the dismantling of the power and influence of Adem Somyurek.

Some suggest the ranks of winners include former Labor frontbencher Kim Carr, whose preselection may have come under threat if Somyurek had gained greater control in the Victorian branch.

Labor Senator Kim Carr in the Senate chamber at Parliament House last week. Picture: Mick Tsikas

Former Communications Minister Stephen Conroy, a factional enemy who was quick to emerge on Sky News after the 60 Minutes expose aired to call for Mr Somyurek’s head is another winner.

But a question mark remains over whether the rank and file ALP voters of Victoria will be denied a vote in the party preselections for years, as Mr Albanese and Victorian Premier Dan Andrews have proposed.

Many in the party believe that will be hard to defend.