Ex-Labor mayor to front corruption inquiry

A mayor of a council in Melbourne’s northeast who quit the Labor party after being accused of branch stacking is set to appear before an anti-corruption inquiry.

Banyule Mayor Rick Garotti will on Monday front the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission inquiry into allegations of branch stacking by Labor MPs and their staff.

Mr Garotti left the Labor party in February after he was referred to its disputes tribunal for alleged branch stacking activities following a major audit of the Victorian membership.

Former cabinet minister Marlene Kairouz was also referred to the tribunal but managed to secure a court order to temporarily stop the internal probe.

Mr Garotti and Ms Kairouz are from the moderate Labor party that was led by upper house MP Adem Somyurek.

The IBAC inquiry has heard Mr Somyurek led a major branch stacking operation, which involved paying for the memberships of others,

The memberships helped the faction gain influence in Melbourne’s southeast and to ensure their preferred candidates were preselected.

The practice is not illegal but is against Labor party rules.

IBAC is investigating whether taxpayer funds and money intended for community associations was used for such work.

Hussein Haraco, electorate officer and secretary of the Somali Australian Council of Victoria, is also set to appear before the inquiry on Wednesday.

The inquiry has already heard from two former staffers of Mr Somyurek who said they did factional work for the MP while employed in taxpayer-funded positions.

Premier Daniel Andrews, from the socialist left faction, ordered the IBAC investigation in June 2020 after an expose by The Age and 60 Minutes into Mr Somyurek’s activities.

Mr Somyurek quit Labor before he was expelled but retained his upper house seat, while factional allies Robin Scott and Ms Kairouz resigned from cabinet.

All three deny stacking allegations.

Ex-Labor mayor to front corruption inquiry
Independent Information