Red shirts rort architect John Lenders quits ALP campaign committee
Labor’s ‘red shirts’ mastermind quit the Victorian ALP’s election campaign committee just hours after receiving the backing of Premier Daniel Andrews.
Labor’s “red shirts” mastermind quit the Victorian ALP’s election campaign committee just hours after receiving the backing of Premier Daniel Andrews despite his key role in the scandal.
John Lenders – slammed by the state’s ombudsman as the architect of the 2014 election rort that cost taxpayers $388,000 – announced on Tuesday that he was stepping down amid renewed controversy over the scheme he designed.
“I don’t want to be a distraction for the party ahead of the state election, which is why I have withdrawn from the campaign committee,” the former Labor treasurer said.
The dramatic afternoon resignation followed Mr Andrews offering him strong personal support earlier in the day, saying the Labor veteran still commanded his respect.
Asked if he supported Mr Lenders remaining on the taskforce that will spearhead his bid for a historic third term on November 26, Mr Andrews said the ALP controlled the committee but he stood by his political colleague.
“That’s a matter for the Labor Party. I have known John a long time and he is somebody I respect,” he said. “Who is on the campaign committee is matter for the party, I don’t determine the membership of that.”
Mr Lenders’ resignation came minutes after The Australian published a story online quoting the Premier’s comments and followed a series of reports in the newspaper highlighting his ongoing election role.
Labor’s red shirts rort was the subject of renewed focus following the release of last week’s Inedependent Broad-based Anit-corruption Commission and Ombudsman report into branch-stacking and systemic abuse of public resources by the ALP.
The Operation Watts report condemned the widespread misuse of taxpayer resources and the Labor Party’s “unethical faction system” and revealed a new report into the red shirts was about to be released.
One focus of this new report will be a brief exchange between the Premier and Adem Somyurek, in which the latter claimed he raised concerns with Mr Andrews about the misuse of electorate staffers to bankroll the red shirts campaigners
The Australian previously revealed that up until Tuesday, Mr Lenders continued to sit on the ALP’s election campaign committee and would have played a key role in Mr Andrews’ bid for a third term.
Opposition Treasury spokesman David Davis said Mr Andrews failed to act before Mr Lenders stood down. “The principal architect of the misuse of $388,000 isn’t someone to respect or keep in the political tent,” he said. “One day Daniel Andrews says he’s the one to clean up corruption in the Labor Party and the next day he backs the mastermind of the red shirts rort and refuses to repay misused taxpayers’ money.
“Daniel Andrews has presided over a widespread culture of corruption within Labor and has today demonstrated he is incapable of meaningful change.”
Mr Andrews last week said he took “full responsibility” for Labor MPs’ conduct identified by the state’s ombudsman and IBAC as unethical. Despite that, the Premier on Tuesday insisted it was not up to him to determine membership of the campaign committee.
“As I just said, I respect John … Who sits on the campaign committee is a matter for the party. I don’t appoint the campaign committee,” he said.
“I’ve taken responsibility for cleaning up our party and we have made some really substantial progress when it comes to that; now it’s up to us to hopefully work with other political parties to clean up the parliament beyond just any one party and beyond party rules. Indeed, to write these high standards into Victorian law.
“The campaign committee and its membership is a matter for the state secretary and you should have a conversation with him.”
ALP state secretary and campaign director Chris Ford said Mr Lenders “should be remembered for his key role as campaign director in the election of the Bracks Labor government, ending Jeff Kennett’s years of devastating cuts to Victorian schools, health and transport services.”
More Coverage
Our most famous blue heeler joins a cut-and-thrust gaming classic
Bluey, one of Australia’s hottest exports, was born from video games and now its creator is partnering with another game, Fruit Ninja, for a family friendly twist on the global phenomenon.
WA finds state allies as GST battle brews
The additional GST funds, Treasurer Rita Saffioti says, are helping WA invest in the infrastructure needed to support the next wave of major projects in the state.