Tara Murray with The Age
Kororoit MP Marlene Kairouz has been asked to \explain why she shouldn’t be expelled from the Labor Party.
Ms Kairouz was issued a show-cause notice and asked to provide information to a review by ALP party elders Steve Bracks and Jenny Macklin, who have been tasked with reforming the ALP, stamping out branch stacking, and purging fake members by January 31
In a statement, Ms Kairouz said she had attempted to co-operate with the ALP investigation but was limited in the information she could provide because of a current Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission (IBAC) investigation.
Ms Kairouz and factional allies Adem Somyurek and Robin Scott are under investigation by IBAC and the Victorian Ombudsman over claims they supported branch stacking of the Labor Party by using parliamentary and ministerial staffers paid from the public purse.
“Despite receiving legal advice not to respond to the ALP investigation while the IBAC investigation was ongoing due to the crossover between the two investigations, I decided in good faith to respond to a questionnaire sent to me by the administrators of the ALP late last year,” Ms Kairouz said.
“Having decided to respond, I was advised by my legal representatives to be succinct to avoid inadvertently impeding the IBAC inquiry.
“The administrators were not satisfied with my responses and issued a show cause letter due to my responses being deemed to be ‘non-responsive answers that have done little to assist us’.
“My response to the questionnaire were prepared in good faith and with the intention of assisting this investigation without compromising my obligations to the IBAC investigation.
“Again despite my legal representatives’ clear advice not to respond, I have provided further information to the administrators after consulting with IBAC.”
In the statement, Ms Kairouz said she was not being accused of branch stacking by the ALP administrators.
If Ms Kairouz is expelled from the ALP she will sit on the crossbench as an independent MP.
All three former ministers have previously denied allegations of misconduct. Ms Kairouz resigned from the cabinet in the fall out to the allegations.
