By Benjamin Preiss, Clay Lucas and Richard Willingham
Open factional war has broken out within Victorian Labor, after Premier Daniel Andrews forced Small Business Minister Adem Somyurek to resign over bullying allegations from his former chief of staff.
In an extraordinary day in state politics, the Premier on Tuesday released former Office of Police Integrity boss Michael Strong's report into alleged bullying by Mr Somyurek of his former chief of staff, Dimity Paul.
In her own press conference, Ms Paul said Mr Somyurek had subjected her to repeated abusive behaviour – which she delayed reporting because she feared for her career, and did not want to think of herself as a victim.
Mr Strong's report found Mr Somyurek, after a meeting in his office in February, "took Ms Paul by the arm to prevent her from leaving his office then took her chin in his hand and shook it gently from side to side as a form of admonition".
In the past Adem Somyurek had complained to Premier Daniel Andrews about his lack of media opportunities. On Tuesday, after his forced resignation, he finally seized the chance to have his say in front of the Victorian media gallery’s press pack. And he didn’t hold back.Credit: Jason South
After his dismissal, an angry Mr Somyurek lashed out, using an emotional press conference to demand the Premier sack both his chief of staff and Deputy Premier James Merlino.
Mr Somyurek warned the Andrews government would "be a one-term government" if a current round of factional disintegration within the party continued.
Mr Somyurek also unloaded on influential industrial and Labor figure, shop assistant union state secretary Michael Donovan, saying the bullying allegations were "payback" for a factional dispute.
He also alleged Mr Donovan had controlled the actions of the Premier. Mr Somyurek maintained his innocence, saying his resignation was not an admission of guilt. He said some of Mr Strong's findings were invalid and not based on facts or evidence.
However, Mr Andrews said Mr Strong's report spoke for itself. "I don't intend to dignify the former minister's erratic commentary," he said.
The resignation could lead to a group of the party's right wing undermining the Deputy Premier, Mr Merlino, who has attracted the fury of Mr Somyurek's allies.
So flammable are relations between warring parts of Labor than even the timing of the meeting of MPs to choose the new minister has angered some in the Right.
A new small business minister is scheduled to be chosen on Friday. In contention are Phil Dalidakis, Shaun Leane and Jaclyn Symes.
But there was a push for a broader Right grouping – those linked to the Transport Workers Union, the Australian Workers Union, the National Union of Workers and parts of the shop assistants' union – to meet next week instead to show some clout.
The report by Mr Strong found that, while Mr Somyurek's handling of Ms Paul's face was "an isolated incident" and there "was no other known physical contact by the minister", she had lost "confidence in her personal safety whilst in the minister's presence".
Mr Strong also found Mr Somyurek's evidence was "unfavourable" and that he "denied too much".
Ms Paul said she had endured months of bullying from Mr Somyurek before making her complaint.
"I was subjected to a pattern of abusive and inappropriate behaviour. On one occasion the minister grabbed and physically shook my face," a tearful Ms Paul said at a press conference held by her lawyers, labour law firm Maurice Blackburn.
"I didn't report it because I feared doing so would have a detrimental affect on my career," Ms Paul said. "But also because I did not want to think of myself as a victim."
But she said that, when a colleague was asked by Mr Somyurek not to return to work, "I decided I needed to say something".
Maurice Blackburn employment law principal Josh Bornstein said Mr Somyurek's resignation was vindication for his client.
As a woman bringing a bullying complaint against her male employer, Mr Bornstein said she had been subjected to "unprecedented attacks" on her personal and professional reputation by the Herald Sun newspaper.
Mr Andrews said the government had failed Ms Paul. "She is owed an apology. I want to apologise to her for the way she was treated."
Mr Strong's report noted that Ms Paul and a second ministerial advisor, Xavier Smith, had alleged Mr Somyurek engaged in a "pattern of conduct involving threatening and inappropriate conduct" from February to May 2015.
He found he was satisfied their evidence "was far more reliable than the evidence of the minister".
The shop assistant union's Mr Donovan declined to respond to Mr Somyurek's claims he had orchestrated the dismissal. "This has nothing to do with the [retail union] and there is nothing I can say about the matter," he said.
Opposition Leader Matthew Guy said Labor was falling apart eight months after coming to office.
"Labor is at war with itself. If you can't govern yourself, you can't govern Victoria," Mr Guy said.
- with Tom Cowie