Tricia Kavanagh to head NSW Labor party
Tricia Kavanagh, a former judge and the wife of Keating government minister Laurie Brereton, has been formally anointed by NSW Labor’s dominant right faction as party president.
Labor in NSW is set to take the surprise step of appointing a retired female judge as its state party president, amid continuing efforts to recover from donations scandals that have troubled the party in recent years.
Tricia Kavanagh, an 81-year-old former judge and wife of prominent Keating government minister Laurie Brereton, has been formally anointed by NSW Labor’s dominant right faction as its candidate to replace Michelle Rowland as party president.
Despite her high-level connections and longtime party association, the choice of Dr Kavanagh has left some in the party bewildered. Most were anticipating an ambitious younger woman from inside party ranks to succeed Ms Rowland when she leaves the role at July’s state conference.
Sources told The Australian Dr Kavanagh’s elevation to the NSW ALP’s top honorary post reflected continued efforts by state party secretary Dom Ofner to improve internal governance in the wake of an Independent Commission Against Corruption inquiry into illicit donations.
That inquiry, sparked by allegations the ALP’s NSW head office accepted $100,000 cash in an Aldi shopping bag from a mysterious Chinese businessman, led to the resignation of former party secretary Kaila Murnain in 2019, and involved former party bosses Jamie Clements and Sam Dastyari.
Dr Kavanagh was formerly a judge of the NSW Industrial Court and deputy president of the NSW Industrial Relations Commission. She has also held board positions with the NSW Racing Appeals Tribunal and Medical Board.
Since retiring as a judge in 2012, Dr Kavanagh has had a behind-the-scenes role in the NSW ALP as chair of its review tribunal, which determines internal appeals on preselections and expulsions.
Confirmation of Dr Kavanagh’s likely elevation as NSW party president caught some in the party off guard this week.
It is unprecedented, except for Labor’s Herbert “Doc” Evatt many decades ago, for a former judge to return to a frontline party role. As a judge from 1998 to 2012 and required to be impartial, Dr Kavanagh was not a Labor member.
Some in NSW Labor speculated that Dr Kavanagh’s elevation, apart from signalling a shortage of younger talent, could indicate the Brereton-Kavanagh family was interested in returning to the fray of NSW politics.
However, since his retirement from parliament in 2004, Mr Brereton has shown no interest in active involvement in party politics apart from giving advice from the sidelines.
Mr Brereton was previously a highly influential ALP player as a minister in the Wran and Unsworth governments, and later in federal parliament as a key numbers man for Paul Keating and minister in his government, then again as the main backer of Mark Latham for party leader.
As party president, Dr Kavanagh will be required to chair regular meetings of the NSW ALP’s administrative committee, its internal officers group meetings and its annual party conferences.
She is expected to take a keen interest in party governance, and insiders predict she will be a “hands-on” president.
Dr Kavanagh declined to comment to The Australian.
She worked closely with Mr Ofner when he had a more junior role as a NSW executive officer under then party secretary Mr Clements.
They are known to get on well.
Ms Rowland, Communications Minister in the Albanese government, took over as state party president in 2022 following an inquiry by former federal Labor attorney-general Michael Lavarch that recommended reforms to improve party accountability and donations management.
Under the Lavarch reforms, the party’s president must be elected by a “super majority” of 75 per cent of annual conference delegates. The NSW ALP left faction is still to confirm who it will support but is likely to back Dr Kavanagh as a consensus candidate.
Dr Kavanagh, who has a PhD in law, was chosen as the right’s candidate at a Centre Unity faction meeting on Wednesday night.
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