Somyurek push to refer red shirts rort back to Ombudsman gathers momentum

The Victorian Parliament is likely to refer the so-called red shirts rort to the Ombudsman after several crossbenchers indicated they would support former minister Adem Somyurek’s push to revisit the Labor Party’s misuse of almost $400,000 in public funds during the 2014 election campaign.

Mr Somyurek admitted he acted corruptly when he agreed to be part of a Labor field campaign that involved using public funds to pay party activists, in a move described by the Ombudsman as an “artifice” and “wrong”.

Adem Somyurek will move a motion in the Victorian Parliament on Wednesday to refer the red shirts rort to the Victorian Ombudsman. Credit: Jason South

The dumped Labor powerbroker will move a motion in Parliament on Wednesday to refer the red shirts scheme back to the Ombudsman.

The motion will request the Ombudsman investigate what involvement Premier Daniel Andrews had, if any, in the scheme; the extent of branch stacking within the ALP; the politicisation of the public service; the Premier’s social media unit staff; and the “new trend” of factional powerbrokers working as lobbyists.

Mr Somyurek, who was sacked from the ministry and forced to quit the Labor Party after The Age and 60 Minutes reported last year on allegations of branch stacking, needs the support of just one more crossbench MP for the motion to pass.

Outside Parliament, he said the joint Victorian Ombudsman and Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission investigation centred on him should be expanded.

“If I was corrupt, we are all corrupt – that’s what I wanted tested at IBAC,” he said. “Everyone acting with the red shirts scheme was corrupt, including me.”

The Greens announced they would vote against the motion on the grounds they did not want to be part of “Labor’s factional warfare”, but The Age has confirmed seven crossbench MPs and the state opposition will support Mr Somyurek’s push.

Derryn Hinch’s Justice Party MPs Tania Maxwell and Stuart Grimley; the Liberal Democrats’ David Limbrick and Tim Quilty; the Sustainable Australia Party’s Clifford Hayes; Transport Matters Party’s Rod Barton; and independent MP Catherine Cumming said they would support the motion.

The Shooters and Fishers’ Jeff Bourman and Animal Justice Party’s Andy Meddick said they were still considering the motion, while the Reason Party’s Fiona Patten said she was “ambivalent” about it.

Premier Daniel Andrews refused to answer questions on Tuesday about Mr Somyurek’s motion. Credit: Eddie Jim

“I can’t see a lot of merit to [the motion], but that doesn’t mean that’s a reason to oppose it,” Ms Patten said. “IBAC and the Ombudsman are incredibly capable of doing their own investigations. I don’t think they need the so-called helpful assistance of Mr Somyurek.”

Mr Andrews refused to respond to questions about the motion on Tuesday.

“I’ve got no comment to make on that. Those matters are for the Legislative Council,” he said.

Opposition Leader Matthew Guy welcomed Mr Somyurek’s motion.

“Labor’s never answered for their crimes on this one,” he said.

Victorian Ombudsman Deborah Glass investigated the red shirts saga in 2017 and tabled her report in early 2018. She said the arrangement to employ field organisers – Labor Party campaigners – as electorate officers was “wrong” and an “artifice” to secure partial payment for the campaign out of parliamentary funds.

She said it would be prudent for the party to pay back the funds – which it did – but did not recommend charges be laid.

The Ombudsman has been contacted for comment.

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