We ask the ALP National Executive to stop the unfair preselections likely for ALP Victorian state candidates! Open Labor and the Independents have today sent out an urgent open letter to supporters on behalf of the Reclaim Our Party forum. The letter (20 Dec. 2021) reads:
Dear Labor friends,
The Reclaim Our Party online forum on 1 December drew more than 130 participants, including both non-aligned and factional members. The forum was hosted by the Independents and Open Labor. Following that meeting James Button (Convenor of Open Labor), and Eric Dearricott (Secretary of the Victorian Labor Independents) wrote to members of the ALP National Executive advocating that:
1. The National Executive do not support the preselection of current parliamentarians with clear links to the rorts of party rules, including branch stacking, exposed in the evidence at IBAC. Such preselections, we argued, would mean that the party’s rules stand for nothing and would be a betrayal of genuine party members whose preselection voting rights had been stripped from them and given to the National Executive. It appears that at this stage the Executive will follow this advice – in our view, the only proper outcome.
2. The National Executive should not endorse the parachuting-in of candidates with no special qualities simply in order to satisfy some sub-factional need.Instead it should support to high-quality local candidates with proven local achievements and connections that we knew were either standing or wanted to stand.
Sadly it seems that the current ruling Victorian factional cabal wants the National Executive to cast aside strong community connected local candidates and will tell the National Executive to install candidates with no connection to the electorate for which they have nominated – a demand the National Executive will probably agree to.
Examples:
The appalling treatment of Frank McGuire Member for Broadmeadows.
Frank is not a factional player and has no connection to branch-stacking activities. The factions are seeking to remove this champion of the area under the cover of the current purge. He has been and remains a passionate advocate for the community of his hitherto neglected electorate. Frank McGuire has inspired $1 billion in investments for new industries and jobs where they are needed most. Barry Jones’ comments in support of Frank McGuire in today’s Age (page 29) say it all.
Joseph Haweil has nominated for the new electorate of Greenvale in which he lives.
Joseph is a local Councillor, was Hume Mayor during the pandemic and demonstrated outstanding leadership his community during the crisis. He is 33 years old and of an Iraqi Christian refugee family. What better qualifications could a candidate have? The factions are seeking to impose an inner Melbourne resident with no connections to the area.
Nominations closed at 10am today, Friday 10 December.
It should not be too late
The National Executive must stand up for the genuine members of Victorian Labor and select candidates like Frank and Joseph – not candidates from somewhere else, with few community qualifications and no connections to the area they are seeking to represent.
End the ban on Victorian party members
participation in preselections & other internal elections now.
Following the Somyurek 60 Minutes program, the National Executive withdrew the preselection (and other election) voting rights of Victorian ALP members until 2023.
In reality what has happened is that control of who is preselected has been handed from one small central group to another. At least before June 2020 there was some semblance of party membership involvement.
There is no excuse for prolonging the agony. Victorian party members’ voting rights should be returned now.
Yours in friendship and hope,
Eric Dearricott
Secretary Victorian Labor Independents
&
James Button
Convenor Open Labor
Updates of events arising
Labor preselections trample both the guilty and innocent – by Bill Kelty, Open Labor, 14 Dec 2021, reprinted with permission from The Age
To all members of the National Executive – please take notice of our call for common sense with the selection of candidates for the State seats in Victoria.
The likes of Frank McGuire has been an outstanding local member and to be dumped is a great injustice to him from the dirty work of the factional war lords – like who the hell do they think they are. To tell us who we need to have represent us.
Choosing someone from Frankston on the other side of the city to run for the new seat of Point Cook in the west.
The locals are screaming out for a local. If we do not select a local I can assure you we can kiss this seat good bye. It will never return to Labor again.
Like it is not rocket science to be able to do this consult the locals – I have been a member for 56 years. Please we are asking for common sense to make selections for local needs. Not that hard please.