ALP ”stacks exodus”

Hamish Heard
Feuding factions in local ALP branches clashed yesterday over allegations branch stacking and intimidation were driving longterm members away from the party.
The clash prompted ALP members to urge protest votes for Liberal candidate Angelo Kakouros in the Labor federal seat of Corio.
Margrette Lewis, Jacqueline Henry and Rhonda Endersby accused Labor’s rightwing Unity faction of stacking branches with busloads of new members from the Turkish community to steal safe seats for factional allies.
They said Labor traditionalists in Geelong had deserted the party in droves over the controversy, including the dumping of sitting Corio MP Gavan O’Connor and the forced retirement of former Lara MP Peter Loney.
But the two preselected members, Lara MP John Eren and Corio candidate Richard Marles, rubbished the claims as “sour grapes” and “racist”.
Ms Lewis, assistant secretary of the Geelong North ALP, said the branch had only formed its meeting quorum of six members twice since preselections in March last year.
She said Lara and Bellarine branches had stopped meeting.
“Rank and file members are disillusioned they no longer have a say about what’s happening in the Labor Party,” Ms Lewis said.
“It’s an exodus.”
The trio claimed preselection polling descended into farce when “busloads” of ethnic people arrived to vote.
The members claimed the people were “herded” to an information desk handing out howtovote cards for Mr Marles and Mr Eren.
“None of us had ever seen any of them before and we haven’t seen them since,” Ms Lewis said.
“I watched one of them have their form filled in by someone else and when I told him that was illegal he said ‘I no understand English’ but he clearly did.”
The trio also alleged Mr Eren intimidated people handing out howtovote cards for Mr O’Connor.
Mr Eren, who has a Turkish background, described the claims as “absolutely ridiculous, false and wrong”.
“If these people have a view that only white people can join the Labor Party they’re wrong – it’s inclusive regardless of race, colour or creed,” Mr Eren said.
“These people…are desperate.”
Mr Marles said local branches were “more united than ever before”.
He labelled the trio’s outburst “sour grapes” over failed preselection bids.
“I received the overwhelming support of the local members and the central panel in Melbourne,” he said.
Representatives of the Lara and Bellarine branches rejected claims they had stopped meeting.