Anthony Byrne to resign after blowing the whistle on suspected corruption within his own party

A federal Victorian MP who turned on his close ally Adem Somyurek, sparking a corruption probe, will resign at the May election.

The veteran Labor MP who blew the whistle on suspected corruption within his own party has pulled the pin and will retire at the May federal election after months of internal pressure.

Holt MP Anthony Byrne turned on former powerbroker Adem Somyurek in 2020, sparking a corruption probe into his close ally of two decades, but he was forced to acknowledge his own misconduct in the resulting inquiry late last year.

Pressure had been mounting on Anthony Albanese to dump him ahead of the election because of his admissions of branch-stacking and misusing taxpayer-funded resources.

Senior Labor figures across the party’s Left and Right factions said it was untenable for Mr Byrne to contest the seat of Holt for a ninth time.

Anthony Byrne revealed on Thursday he would resign. Picture: AAP

On Thursday, Mr Byrne revealed he would resign in a letter to the party, citing the role he had played in the Victorian anti-corruption watchdog’s investigation.

“This involved giving public testimony that I knew could have implications for my role in parliament, but this did not deter me from doing what I knew I needed to do. I believe that I have helped protect the Australian Labor Party, which I will continue to be a member of, and to which I owe a debt of gratitude and love,” he said.

“The role of our integrity and corruption commissions are essential to our democracy, and I strongly support the creation of such a commission under a future Labor government.”

Several Labor sources had argued that if the Labor leader continued to support Mr Byrne, it would undermine the party’s attack on the Morrison government’s integrity and its plans for a national anti-corruption commission with retrospective powers.

Anthony Byrne turned on former powerbroker Adem Somyurek in 2020, sparking a corruption probe into his close ally of two decades. Picture: David Geraghty

“He has to go,” one senior figure said.

Even supporters of Mr Byrne, who praised his move to bring down Mr Somyurek, had acknowledged it would be difficult for him to contest the next election.

The powerful Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees’ Association is now expected to have factional control over his replacement.

The Herald Sun understands former Australian Medical Association vice president Dr Stephen Parnis is on their radar as a potential candidate.

But Labor sources said Mr Byrne’s replacement would likely have to be a woman in order to boost gender diversity in the Right and help the party meet its affirmative action targets.

Maurice Blackburn principal lawyer Liberty Sanger has also been touted as an option.

Multiple party insiders suggested on Thursday night that the United Workers Union, part of Labor’s Left faction, was plotting an ambitious bid to claim the seat from the SDA.

UWU national political coordinator Jo Briskey’s name was floated as a prospective candidate, despite the fact that she had been based in Queensland for years. She was Labor’s candidate in the Brisbane seat of Bonner at the 2019 federal election.

Mr Byrne, who entered parliament in 1999, told the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission last year that he had engaged in branch-stacking and paid staff even though he did not know if they were doing their jobs.

Mr Albanese referred him to the Department of Finance for investigation, but when asked in October if he had asked Mr Byrne to consider his future, the Labor leader said: “These processes will play out”.

“We’ll deal with those matters at an appropriate time,” Mr Albanese said.

Mr Albanese said Byrne’s decision to not stand as a candidate at the forthcoming election meant the parliament would lose one of its truly dedicated servants.

“During his more than two decades as the member for Holt, he has served his constituents – and more broadly, the Australian people – with energy and devotion, guided every step of the way by Labor values and his love for our country,” the Labor leader said.

“It is a love that has been demonstrated with particular power in his work in national security, most notably during his 11 years as Chair and then Deputy Chair of the Parliamentary Joint Committee of Intelligence.”

Mr Albanese said it was in those roles that Byrne understood just how much was at stake, and worked hard to keep Australia’s approach to national security firmly bipartisan.

“As he prepares to conclude his parliamentary career, Anthony speaks of owing the Australian Labor Party ‘a debt of gratitude and love’. The debt is mutual.”

Originally published as Anthony Byrne to resign after blowing the whistle on suspected corruption within his own party