Branch stacking inquiry: Adem Somyurek ‘spat venom’ over staffer’s job refusal

Adem Somyurek’s former office manager says he froze her out for rejecting a job as John Setka’s right-hand woman to improve his image.

Ellen Schreiber at IBAC's corruption hearings.

A former ministerial officer to Victorian powerbroker Adem Somyurek was offered a job as John Setka’s right-hand woman to counter negative press coverage of the union boss after he harassed his wife, it has been alleged.

Elle Schreiber said she felt like a “lamb being led to wolves” after Mr Somyurek offered her the role with the CFMEU, saying the factional warlord told her she would gain a sense of power as well as ­access to state and federal politicians if she took the union job.

Ms Schreiber, now an adviser to federal Labor MP Anthony Byrne, on Tuesday detailed how she was directed to perform factional work for Mr Somyurek while on taxpayer money as she gave testimony at a hearing before the state anti-­corruption watchdog, which is investigating allegations of branch stacking and misuse of public ­office.

Adem Somyurek. Picture: David Geraghty

When Mr Somyurek offered her the position at the Construction Forestry Maritime Mining and Energy Union, Ms Schreiber said she was told it was because the state union secretary’s wife, Emma Walters, was taking her job in Mr Somyurek’s office.

“Adem [Somyurek] said we’re going out for coffee and propositioned me to a role described as John Setka’s right-hand woman because at the time John was going through bad media,” she told the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission.

“They said it was ideal to have a young female in that position [and] the position entailed me signing up CFMEU members to becoming ALP members.”

Federal Labor leader Anthony Albanese refused on Tuesday to cut Mr Byrne loose after the Victorian federal member admitted on Monday to manipulating votes in that state’s Labor branch.

“What is the allegation? If there is an allegation … it should be made,” he said.

He also declined to say whether Mr Byrne should resign, saying the IBAC hearing should be allowed to run its course. “It’s not appropriate to pre-empt their findings and those processes. That’s a very clear thing when you have a legal matter taking place,” he said.

In the wake of Luke Donnellan’s resignation from the state ministry on Monday after it emerged he had engaged in branch stacking, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said he expected all MPs to behave appropriately at all times. Distancing himself from the ALP factional machine, Mr Andrews said he had not attended a factional meeting for his Socialist Left faction since he became Labor leader 11 years ago.

“Mate, I haven’t been to a factional meeting or caucus meeting or a meeting of the faction for 11 years,” he said. “I take my responsibilities as leader of the party to be the leader for the entire party.”

Anthony Byrne

He also tried to play down his previous life as an influential figure within the Socialist Left. “I’ll be 50 next year. There was some stuff yesterday about, you know, way back when in 1999 and 1996 and 1997, when I was, you know, 24 years old, and let’s not, I know that all of us like to think of ourselves as very important when we’re 25, but we rarely are,” Mr Andrews said.

Both Mr Somyurek and the CFMEU on Tuesday refuted Ms Schreiber’s testimony.

On Twitter, Mr Somyurek said he had no authority to give anyone a job and accused Mr Byrne of exploiting the inquiry. “I have absolutely no authority to give her a job with any organisation,” he said. “Why would we employ a departmental person to do factional work.”

A CFMEU spokeswoman said: “We have no knowledge of a Elle Schreiber.”

Around the time Mr Somyurek is alleged to have offered the CFMEU job to Ms Schreiber, it emerged Mr Setka had sent Ms Walters a series of abusive text messages. Mr Setka was convicted of harassment and the current status of his relationship with Ms Walters is not known.

Ms Schreiber told the inquiry that when Mr Somyurek learned she was taking a role in Mr Byrne’s office instead of with the CFMEU, he became “mad like a cut snake”.

“He spat venom at me,” she said. “ ‘You’re a f..king idiot. Why are you working for a backbencher? Anthony does nothing out there. He’s lazy. You’re not going to go anywhere in your career.’ ”

Ms Schreiber left Mr Somyurek’s office in August 2019 and continues to work for Mr Byrne.