Tara Murray and The Age
Kororoit MP Marlene Kairouz has been charged by the Victorian Labor Party as part of a probe into branch staking in the ALP.
Ms Kairouz posted a statement on social media on Monday confirming that she is one of two people charged by interim administrators Steve Bracks and Jenny Macklin.
The charges follow a months-long internal audit of Labor members, after The Age and 60 Minutes in June last year revealed Victorian cabinet ministers Adem Somyurek, Robin Scott and Ms Kairouz were allegedly involved in the largest branch-stacking scandal to engulf the ALP.
“It is very disappointing that the administrators have chosen to take this course of action,” Ms Kairouz said in the statement.
“The tenuous nature of the charges against me is another indication of the predetermined outcome.
“The charges do not allege that I was engaged in branch stacking activity but rather I was somehow promoting it or that I knew it was going on and didn’t report it.”
Ms Kairouz has indicated the charges are related to the alleged transfer of memberships, her attendance at branch meetings where members were recruited, and comments about memberships.
She will be referred to the party’s internal disputes tribunal and, if found guilty, will be kicked out of the ALP.
Ms Kairouz restated her previous comments that she had never stacked branches in my life.
“History shows that people tend to stack branches as a vehicle to get into parliament.
“Once they are elected, they tend to lose interest, not the other way around.
“I only knew three members on the ALP Kororoit voters roll when I ran for my preselection.
Mr Bracks and Ms Macklin, whose six-month term ended on Sunday, did not identify who they had charged, or the specific charges, but said they had referred “two of what we believe to be most serious cases to the party’s internal disputes tribunal for alleged breach of branch-stacking rules”.
