‘Extraordinarily brutal’ decisions on Victorian Labor pre-selection imminent

An large number of Victorian Labor MPs formerly aligned with a fallen powerbroker are expected to be knifed on Monday.

A purge of members formerly aligned with fallen Labor powerbroker Adem Somyurek is expected soon. Picture: NCA NewsWire / David Crosling

Unprecedented numbers of Victorian Labor MPs are expected to be knifed on Monday in an internal purge of members formerly aligned with fallen powerbroker Adem Somyurek.

The party’s national executive is scheduled to vote on the future of the marked party members at 3pm but it is believed a deal hatched by operatives from the left and part of the right has already superseded the ballot.

There is some unease within parts of Victorian Labor over how the preselection challenges have been handled, with one party insider describing it as “an extraordinarily brutal time” that saw factional allegiances take precedence over community needs.

“I could actually discover a cure for cancer today and it wouldn’t matter,” said one party insider.

Those marked for execution include members of the moderate Right faction formerly aligned with Mr Somyurek, whose names were mentioned at anti-corruption hearings investigating allegations of branch stacking.

This includes former consumer affairs minister Marlene Kairouz, former multicultural affairs minister Robin Scott, former child protection minister Luke Donnellan and upper house president Nazih Elasmar.

Mr Somyurek admitted to paying for memberships but said former ally federal Labor MP Anthony Byrne had retained preselection for the seat of Holt despite admitting to branch stacking and keeping a kitty for renewals.

“None of the MPs about to be disendorsed or I have admitted to branch stacking yet Anthony Albanese’s mate Byrne has been preselected and his preselection is supported by Albo,” he said.

“Albo needs to … explain why Byrne continues to be an endorsed ALP candidate after the revelations at the Independent Broad-based Anti-­corruption Commission and the other MPs are being disendorsed.”

Mr Byrne is known to be concerned that IBAC is being dragged into Labor’s pre-selection mess.

Another Labor source said the preselection challenge was part of internal renewal that needed to take place ahead of a state election in November 2022, and the party couldn’t go to the polls with candidates under a cloud of corruption. “We can’t spend days in the media defending candidates potentially facing adverse findings,” said one party insider.

“We didn’t do this to them.”

Several MPs are believed to be considering quitting and triggering by-elections ahead of the 2022 state election in a threat to the stability of the Andrews Labor government.

A party insider described this as an attempt to “blackmail the national executive”.

Not mentioned at the IBAC but on the chopping block include former union leader Cesar Melhem and Broadmeadows MP Frank McGuire, who has publicly called for Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews to intervene and save him, saying the preselection process had been “corrupted by factional interests”.

Sources said Mr Andrews, who has publicly distanced himself from the factional bloodshed, had given operatives the green light by not intervening to save sitting MPs.

“If the Premier had chosen to intervene, this wouldn’t be happening,” said one source.

Meanwhile, the Victorian Liberals held three preselections ballots at the weekend, with former party leader Michael O’Brien retaining his seat of Malvern and Business Council of Australia director Jess Wilson winning preselection for the seat of Kew.

In the bayside seat of Brighton, James Newbury on Sunday was re-endorsed as the Liberals candidate.