A former employee of the disgraceful Labor power broker Adem Somiurek will appear before the Victorian anti-corruption investigation.
Adam Sullivan will provide evidence on Wednesday in an independent and extensive Anti-Corruption Commission (IBAC) investigation into allegations of branch stacking by Labor lawmakers and their staff.
Sullivan worked for Somiurek and his allies in a medium faction of the Labor Party. Holt is a member of Parliament of Anthony Byrne and a member of Parliament of Collorito Marlene Kyles.
Byrne has allowed other people to pay for Labor membership as part of a “established” model of branch stacking led by Somiurek.
Membership helped the factions gain influence in the southeastern part of Melbourne and ensure that their preferred candidates were pre-selected.
This practice is not illegal in Australia, but it violates Labor rules.
The IBAC is investigating whether public funds have been used for such work.
Ellen Schreiber, a former executive assistant at Somiurek, said in an inquiry on Tuesday that she worked as a faction during business hours.
Schreiber said he wasn’t asked to do so when he first joined the office in January 2019. However, between June and July of that year, “80%” of her time was related to ALP membership and faction work.
This included attending an internal Labor meeting that approved party members, along with another man, Sullivan and Oscar Goodwin.
This trio was responsible for evaluating applications in the west, north and southeast of Melbourne.
Schreiber left the office in August 2019 and worked for Burn, who whistled to Somiurek’s actions.
Byrne said in a Tuesday survey that he knew of the stacking of branches in other factions, including Prime Minister Daniel Andrews’ socialists, left in the southeast of Melbourne.
The prime minister told reporters outside parliament on Tuesday that he has not attended faction meetings since becoming a leader of the Victorian Labor Party in 2010 and has always followed party rules.
follow