ALP left faction slams ‘power grab’

A factional brawl tearing apart Labor’s Victorian branch and Bill Shorten’s support base has deepened

A factional brawl tearing apart Labor’s Victorian branch and Bill Shorten’s support base has deepened, with an internal memo from the party’s left accusing factional opponents of putting their own ­positions ahead of policy during an election year.

A circular sent by Socialist Left secretary Mathew Hilakari to the party’s left faction has slammed factional opponents for destabilising the party at a critical moment in an election year, by rewriting a decade-old factional which kept relative peace between factions.

The note came out a day after Victorian right powerbroker Adem Somyurek inked a new agreement bringing the right together with some unions on the left, including the Construction Forestry Mining and Energy Union.

The signing of the deal on Friday effectively blew up the decade-old “Stability Deal” which granted certain seats to certain factions, including the Socialist Left, which is now prepped for factional war after being sidelined in the agreement.

“Two-thirds of the party are ­opposed to this so-called ‘agreement’ and the accompanying ­destabilisation this creates at a critical time for the working people who rely on the elections of Labor governments,” Mr Hilakari said in the note to members.

“While it’s claimed that this is about policy, those leaving the left have not raised any concerns with policy issues advanced by the SL.

“It is clear that this is in fact an attempt by a small group of individuals seeking power and positions in their own interests.

“It does not mean that others might not sign onto the agreement, or that there will not be difficult times ahead within the ALP. But it is important to keep our eyes on the main game — making sure that the ALP can form progressive governments which represent the interests of working people and the vulnerable.”

The spat has emerged at a fractious time for the party, as Mr Shorten faces pressure from left-wing powerbrokers including ­Anthony Albanese, who at weekend said his loyalty was to the party and not with its leader.

The architects of the new agreement attempted to secure control of the party’s state-based public office selection committee, which governs preselections, by holding more than 51 per cent of the 100-vote panel.

Supporters of the deal, which include Mr Somyurek’s Mods faction, the Australian Workers ­Union, the Transport Workers Union, the Finance Sector Union and the Rail Tram Bus Union, have described the alliance as a moderating influence on the party.

However, the stability of the deal has been left hanging in the balance, with right powerbroker Richard Marles and SDA leader Michael Donovan not yet signing, leaving the alliance with only about a third of votes on the preselection committee.