Anthony Byrne’s covert taping ‘unethical, maybe illegal’

Labor MP Anthony Byrne’s role in the taping of Adem Somyurek has been ­labelled unethical and potentially illegal.

Labor MP Anthony Byrne asks a question in a parliamentary inquiry. Picture: Kym Smith

Embattled Labor MP Anthony Byrne’s covert role in the taping of fallen party powerbroker Adem Somyurek has been ­labelled unethical and potentially illegal by ALP elder and former parliamentary security committee member Michael Danby.

After The Australian revealed explosive texts in which Mr Byrne attacked senior Labor colleagues and female staffers and said he was going to “destroy a guy’s ­career” via Nine’s 60 Minutes program, the Victorian MP is under more pressure to step down as deputy chairman of the powerful security committee.

Mr Byrne’s own Victorian Right faction is also facing serious pressure from Left faction forces backing Anthony Albanese, after covert audio and video taping in Mr Byrne’s electorate office led to Mr Somyurek’s sacking.

Mr Danby, a long-time MP for Melbourne Ports, said there was more “skulduggery” occurring in Victorian Labor and the bugging of Mr Byrne’s office had been as unethical as branch-stacking.

“I doubt whether it is legal for an MP to authorise a staff member to participate in the covert surveillance of colleagues in his own office,” Mr Danby told The Australian.

“It is, in my view, as unethical as the alleged branch-stacking undertaken by Mr Somyurek.”

Victoria’s two foremost integrity agencies, corruption watchdog IBAC and the state’s Ombudsman, announced on ­Friday they would collaborate to investigate the allegations of branch-stacking and corruption within the state Labor Party.

IBAC commissioner Robert Redlich and Ombudsman Deborah Glass announced their organisations would “take a co-ordinated approach to the investigation into a range of matters concerning allegations of ‘branch-stacking’, and other matters aired in recent media reports.”

Mr Danby’s comments came as Victorian Right MPs told The Australian they were coming under more pressure from Left colleagues. The federal takeover of their state branch has left preselections and most party matters in the hands of Mr Albanese and Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews until after both the federal and state elections in 2022. Victorian unions are now threatening legal action over the takeover.

“It’s like the 1950s right now … the Left are becoming very threatening,” one Right MP said.

With the Eden-Monaro by-election only two weeks away, Mr Albanese said the matter had been dealt with, as he had “counselled” Mr Byrne on his “inappropriate” language.

“We have dealt with it. He is the deputy chair and the chair, Andrew Hastie, the Liberal Party chair, gave him a glowing character reference just this week,” Mr Albanese told television program Sunrise on Seven.

“We have acted swiftly and what I am doing is getting on with the job of issues that are of concern to Australians.”

Scott Morrison has called Mr Byrne’s hold on the powerful position of deputy chairman of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security a test for Mr Albanese. But government MPs have largely resisted attacking Mr Byrne directly because of his hawkish security views and co-operation on a host of recent counter-terrorism and foreign ­interference reforms.

Mr Dutton said on Friday he liked Mr Byrne and every adult Australian had used “bad language”. “I think he has done a great job in the intelligence committee. He has a sensible perspective in dealing with counter-terrorism laws,” he told the Nine Network. “Frankly, I’m not going to criticise him for the language. It was a private text message. If you can say hand-on-heart … that you haven’t used bad language in private, good luck to you but that’s not the reality for most adult ­Australians.”

ADDITIONAL REPORTING: RACHEL BAXENDALE