‘Abuse of power’ prompts union to demand Labor national executive intervenes in state preselections

Labor’s Tasmanian election campaign is at risk of being derailed by bitter internal conflict over preselections.

Kingborough mayor Dean Winter missed out on preselection for the seat of Franklin after clashing with powerbrokers from the Left. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

Labor’s Tasmanian election campaign is at risk of being ­derailed by bitter internal conflict over preselections, with a key union formally demanding intervention by the party’s powerful national executive.

The Australian Workers Union on Sunday wrote to Labor’s national executive seeking revocation of state preselections and alleging an “abuse of power” and “flagrant” rule breaches by the party’s state ­administrative committee.

Its dramatic bid to overturn preselections follows major unrest within the party and the broader community at the administrative committee’s decision not to preselect mayor Dean Winter for the seat of Franklin.

Mr Winter, backed by the influential Right faction-aligned union, was widely seen as a star candidate with a good chance of winning a seat in the southern electorate that takes in much of his Kingborough municipality.

He is strongly backed by many within the party, including former premiers Paul Lennon, David Bartlett and Lara Giddings, all of whom have called for his preselection in Franklin.

Mr Winter, a former adviser to Labor leader Rebecca White, is, however, intensely disliked by powerbrokers in the Left. They have accused him of criticising council workers, appearing to endorse a shake-up of penalty rates and being open to privatisations.

Premier Peter Gutwein called an early election late last month after Speaker Sue Hickey quit the Liberal Party and sent the government into minority.

In his letter to Labor’s national executive, AWU acting ­national secretary Misha Zelinsky alleged a series of rule breaches by the Left-dominated state administrative committee and a deliberate manipulation to deny Mr Winter preselection.

“Since the election has been called, the majority of the ­administrative committee has implemented a panicked, confusing and procedurally unfair process to preselect candidates,” Mr Zelinsky wrote to Labor’s nat­ional secretary Paul Erickson. “The view of the majority appears to be that it can constantly change and adapt the preselection process to ensure certain candidates are selected or indeed that specific candidates are not selected. That approach is inconsistent with the rules, which are clearly intended to provide for the fair and orderly conduct of preselections.

“By actively seeking to block Mr Winter from standing as a candidate, Labor is wilfully harming its own electoral prospects at a critical election.”

The letter outlines a series of alleged state administrative committee rule breaches even before the May 1 election was called.

Citing its right to appeal under the party’s constitution, the union had pleaded for the executive to “revoke the pre­selection decisions for all House of Assembly positions” and ­establish a “fair preselection ­process”. Failing that, it urges the executive to determine the ­candidates and to include Mr Winter, whom it alleges was “materially and unfairly disadvantaged”.

The dispute threatens to make a tough election even more difficult for Labor.

Kevin Midson, an AWU organiser and convener of Labor’s Right faction in Tasmania, said national intervention was needed to ensure Labor had the best chance of winning.

“We desperately need Labor to win the upcoming election — the working people of Tasmania are counting on it,” he said. “To win, Labor needs to ensure we have fair processes that give us the best possible ­candidates. The public outcry in support of Dean shows that Labor would be mad to leave him off the ticket.”

The Australian has previously reported some within the party believe the Left faction persuaded a would-be candidate for the seat of Clark, lawyer Fabiano Cangelosi, to switch to neighbouring Franklin to justify the admini­strative committee blocking Mr Winter’s candidacy.

Mr Cangelosi denies being involved in any such plot.

Labor state secretary Stuart Benson did not respond to requests for comment by deadline.