Union bosses ‘fighting mad’ at Anthony Albanese’s captain’s picks in crucial seats

Anthony Albanese’s ‘meddling’ to install his preferred left-faction candidate in the seat of Barton has ignited the anger of one of the most powerful trade union leaders in NSW.

Anthony Albanese has come under fire for factional meddling in Linda Burney’s seat of Barton. Picture: Martin Ollman

Anthony Albanese’s “meddling” to install his preferred left-faction candidate in the seat of Barton has ignited the anger of one of the most powerful trade union leaders in NSW, who criticised his “blatant disregard” of party procedure and “disrespect” of card-carrying members.

The comments were made at the Australian Workers Union NSW Christmas party on Friday, where trade leaders also predicted Labor would struggle at next year’s election to avoid becoming a one-term government.

It comes after the Prime Minister last week sought to install ­Georges River councillor Ashvini Ambihaipahar via the national executive to replace outgoing Linda Burney in Barton.

The installation of a left-faction candidate into a right-held seat has sparked ire in branch ranks, with many said to be becoming increasingly concerned about a more difficult path to retain the division.

On Friday at the Christmas party, sources said state branch secretary Tony Callinan told a 100-plus crowd in a “fiery” speech that Mr Albanese had flouted procedure and “disrespected” members. “It’s obvious we’ve got a (Prime Minister) with a blatant disregard for party procedure and policies,” sources quoted him as saying, describing his speech as heavy on expletives.

The Australian understands that while Mr Callinan refrained from namechecking Mr Albanese specifically, multiple sources said the union boss’s anger made no attempt to veil the direction of his anger.

Australian Workers Union NSW branch secretary Tony Callinan. Picture: Aymon Bertah

Mr Callinan told the room the Prime Minister had a “blatant disregard for party procedure and policy” and in moving to install a factional ally had “disrespected” Labor’s rank and file.

It’s understood only state Labor MPs were invited to Friday’s event, none from the federal caucus, and Mr Callinan was reported saying: “(I) won’t go too into … the Labor federal government or I’ll get too angry.”

He’s understood to have said AWU official Jack Ayoub would have won a rank-and-file pre­selection “in a f..king landslide”.

Multiple sources – speaking on the condition of anonymity – said union leaders told the room they predicted a “one-term” Labor federal government, implicating Mr Albanese at the centre of the Barton uproar and the party’s dwind­ling poll numbers.

Sources said Mr Callinan called Mr Albanese’s factional meddling a “disgrace” and the Christmas dinner speeches didn’t refrain from criticising federal Labor, with words of goodwill towards the Minns government – from Mr Callinan and national secretary Paul Farrow – not extended towards the Albanese administration.

Right-faction leaders remain in discussions on how to proceed and whether to nominate their candidate, likely Mr Ayoub, which would force Mr Albanese to use his casting vote on the national executive, assuming the right held ranks.

Uniting general manager Emma Maiden was seen as the left’s likely pick before it turned to Ms Ambihaipahar, but there remains scepticism among branches about who would have won any open preselection.

Mr Ayoub, who is backed by a bloc of right-aligned unions, was considered one frontrunner but others said former NSW MLC Shaoquett Moselmane had the branch numbers.

Mr Moselmane would have caused headaches for federal Labor – particularly given his vocal support for Palestine – and sources mused whether he would have been struck off at the candidate review stage, with cross-­faction figures agreeing the former state MP would never have been agreeable to head office.

Georges River councillor Ashvini Ambihaipahar.

Others reserved criticism for NSW Labor general secretary Dom­inic Ofner for a failure to call an open preselection months ago, but conceded an Albanese captain’s pick was always the most likely outcome.

Mr Ofner wrote to national party secretary Paul Erickson last week expressing opposition to the intervention, which called for a thorough post-election review into how plenary powers and nat­ional executive interventions had been applied.

Others said the failure was of the right’s making for failing to put forward a credible female candidate. “It was always going to be a woman (to replace Ms Burney),” one source said.

Barton is at least the third preselection intervention by Mr Albanese, following similar actions in Tasmania and Victoria.

Ms Ambihaipahar – a lawyer and serving councillor – will likely garner branch support for what many now envision is a more difficult campaign.