‘Faceless men’ cut Victorian Labor preselection deals

Three registered political lobbyists unmasked as powerbrokers in Labor factional deal carving up electorates for 2022 state election.

Mat Hilakari following Monday’s factional meeting. Picture: Damon Johnston

Labor-aligned political lobbyists are heavily involved in striking a Victorian ALP deal to carve up electorates between rival party factions ahead of next year’s state election.

Three Socialist Left power­brokers – Mat Hilakari, Alan Griffin and Kos Samaras, who are all listed on the Victorian government’s register of political lobbyists – attended a high-level meeting on Monday evening at the headquarters of the Transport Workers Union.

They were locked in talks at the union’s Port Melbourne office for almost two hours as they tried to thrash out the division of lower and upper house seats between the Socialist Left and the ALP’s Right groups.

Their appearance at Monday’s talks thrusts the “faceless men” into the spotlight and raises questions about the ethics of Labor-linked lobbyists who make a living lobbying a Labor government for private sector clients playing a role in determining the future of Labor MPs. As he left the meeting on Monday night, Mr Griffin, the former federal Labor MP for Bruce, confirmed the discussions were part of the factional negotiations over preselection deals. Asked if the Socialist Left had got everything it wanted, Mr Griffin said: “We’re still talking.”

The Victorian register of lobbyists lists Mr Griffin as a lobbyist for three firms: The Civic Group Holdings, Alan Griffin and Aroca Consulting Group.

The register states that his former Labor affiliations include working as a chief of staff, senior adviser or adviser in the private ­office of a commonwealth or state minister or parliamentary secretary and as having served as a minister or parliamentary secretary of a state or commonwealth government.

As Mr Hilakari, who is the secretary of the Socialist Left, walked from the TWU office, The Australian asked whether he thought it was appropriate for lobbyists to be involved in the internal processes of the Victorian ALP. “I have made no efforts to lobby anyone in the Victorian government at any time – just so I am clear,” he said.

In a follow-up statement on Tuesday, Mr Hilakari said: “The register is an important transparency and integrity measure which I support. It is widely available including online so any person in the community can view it, and comes with important obli­gations that I respect.

“Out of an abundance of caution, I am on the register, however I have undertaken no lobbying to this point in time.”

Mr Hilakari is listed as a ­lobbyist for The Shape Agency, which describes him on its website as a “senior consultant” who has worked as a “senior adviser in government and politics for more than a decade running and shaping successful campaigns with clear, sharp messaging to engage and persuade target audiences”.

“Trained in politics and economics, he has a strong public policy background, having worked across a wide range of portfolios in government including most ­recently for the Minister for Health,” his biography states.

The lobbyist register lists his previous work experience as a chief of staff, senior adviser or ­adviser in the private office of a commonwealth or state minister or parliamentary secretary.

Mr Samaras, a former assistant state secretary of the ALP and ­veteran Labor election strategist, said he attended the factional meeting as a “proxy” for senator Kim Carr, and he held no official position as a factional negotiator.

“I am a registered lobbyist, that’s legal and proper,” Mr Sam­aras said.

“I have an affiliation with a political party. I have an interest in the types of people that are representing the community that I have grown up in … so I am present and active in this space.”

Mr Samaras played down the influence of the lobbyists on the faction deal. “Do we have the final say on what happens? Not really. Part of the process? Absolutely,” he said.

He said safeguards were in place covering how lobbyists ­interacted with government and he adhered to them.

“When we are making representations to government on ­behalf of clients, there are ­appropriate processes set up – there is an adviser present,” Mr ­Samaras said.

“I am obligated to declare who I represent if I am pitching to ­government about a particular project.”

Mr Samaras, who is listed on the register as the owner of RedBridge, said there were still “days of discussions” ahead for factional leaders but he believed a deal would be struck by late next week. The factional peace talks have been dragging on for months and an early draft version of a factional document dated March this year circulated within the ALP has been obtained by The Australian.

“Labor today, however, faces significant challenges,” the draft document states. “Labor Unity, the Socialist Left and the Industrial Left … note that historic agreements have been critical to maintaining stability and proportional representation in the Victorian branch, and enabling broad-based debates over critical issues to occur without rancour or disunity.”

This early draft raises the prospect of the factional deal spanning the next two terms, starting in 2022 and 2026, and covering federal division of the party.

The document alludes to the crisis around branch-stacking allegations, the misuse of public resources and the anti-corruption probe into the dealings. “Recent revelations regarding practices within the party relating to membership matters are a source of ­serious concern,” it states. “They reflect on the ALP’s internal procedures and operation and demand serious actions be taken.”