Labor is ratcheting up pressure on Scott Morrison to take action after fresh allegations were aired about Liberal party branch-stacking orchestrated by a conservative party powerbroker with links to the Victorian frontbencher Michael Sukkar and veteran MP Kevin Andrews.
Marcus Bastiaan, the operative at the centre of Sunday night’s report, resigned from the Liberal party on Monday.
With federal parliament resuming, the Labor leader, Anthony Albanese, said the prime minister needed to move against Sukkar, the assistant treasurer and housing minister.
“If Michael Sukkar is still sitting there at two o’clock as a minister, then that is a failure of Scott Morrison’s leadership,” Albanese told the ABC.
A Nine network report aired on Sunday night alleged that Bastiaan, a conservative backroom operative, organised staff to recruit members to boost the position of the faction while they were employed by Andrews – a veteran government MP and former Liberal frontbencher.
The reports claim to have seen evidence from memos, documents and recordings that suggests while Sukkar was not actively involved in stacking Liberal branches, he may have benefited from it.
Bastiaan said the leaking of “old historic material” was an unnecessary distraction.
“I reject allegations of branch-stacking,” he said. “As the voluntary chair of the party’s membership and training committee between 2015 and 2018 my role was to recruit and train new members.
“Clearly I have said foolish and stupid things in my 20s – I apologise without reservation to those I have offended, and hope I’ll be kinder and wiser in my 30s.”
Sukkar has issued a statement denying any wrongdoing and has asked the secretary of the finance department to undertake an independent review of the staffing arrangements in the Deakin electorate office.
“I completely reject the allegations … aired on the Nine network,” he said. “Since being elected to parliament, every member of my team has been directed to, and expected to, obey all applicable parliamentary policies and guidelines and workplace laws.
“I have never authorised taxpayer-funded staff to undertake party political activity outside of these policies and guidelines when they are being paid to serve the constituents of the Deakin electorate.”
He could “not speak to the operations of other electorate offices”.
Andrews also denied the allegations, and told the ABC he had also referred allegations regarding staff in his office to the finance department for independent review. Andrews told the ABC: “My integrity and my reputation mean everything.”
Last week the Victorian Liberal party said it would investigate branch-stacking allegations. There have been reports for some time that conservatives in the branch were involved in mass recruitment. The grassroots recruitment drive has been active among conservative church groups looking for a home after the collapse of the Christian micro-party Family First.
Morrison has said the issues raised in Sunday night’s report are a matter for the Victorian division of the Liberal party. He said the two federal MPs were correct to engage the finance department to conduct and audit, and the state branch is correct to conduct inquiries.
But Albanese said when branch-stacking allegations against Labor figures, including the Victorian government minister Adem Somyurek, were aired by the Nine network earlier this year, “a minister was gone by the morning [and] a minister was expelled from the Labor party the very next day”.
“By Tuesday the branch had been intervened in, Steve Bracks and Jenny Macklin appointed to administer the branch, and [there was] widespread action from myself and Daniel Andrews,” he said.
He said that when the Labor allegations were aired, “Morrison said this was a test for me. Now, once again, a bit like aged care, he’s saying it’s not his responsibility.
“Well, someone needs to tell Scott Morrison that he’s actually in charge of the Liberal party.”
