Opposition leader Anthony Albanese was blindsided on Monday night by a question over a camera hidden in a Federal MP’s office, as Victoria Labor reeled over explosive corruption allegations.
The Federal Labor leader appeared on the ABC’s 7.30 in damage control mode during a horror day which saw Victoria lose two Labor ministers after secret tapes exposed a branch stacking scandal.
An investigation by The Age and 60 Minutes alleges Adem Somyurek handed over thousands of dollars in cash and used parliamentary employees to create fake branch members and amass political influence within the party.
The tapes showed the Labor powerbroker and Victoria’s former Small Business Minister making foul-mouthed comments about colleagues, including calling young staff members ‘little passive-aggressive f***ing gay kids’.
Journalist Leigh Sales challenged Labor Leader Anthony Albanese with hard-hitting questions over how far ‘the rot’ had spread, and which MP’s office had the camera filming the expose?
7.30 host Leigh Sales pointed to a section of the explosive tapes where a voice asked: ‘Who’ll protect Albo’, and questioned if that meant Adem Somyurek’s reach extended to Canberra.
‘That’s just not true, he’s someone I’ve barely met,’ Mr Albanese said.
Mr Albanese distanced himself from what Sales described as ‘the rot’ within the party, saying he had zero tolerance for corruption and that it would be dealt with.
‘What we saw today was strong action from Premier Andrews, who dismissed Adem Somyurek as a minister, and then wrote to the national executive indicating that he would charge him and seek to expel him from the party,’ he said.
‘And those issues have all been dealt with.’
Sales then asked how a camera from the expose came to be located in a Federal MP’s office.
Labor Leader Anthony Albanese distanced himself from disgraced Labor powerbroker Adem Somyurek, saying he was someone he had ‘barely met’
‘In some of the footage you can see a computer with an Australian Parliament House screen saver, which means it was filmed in the office of a federal Labor MP – whose office was it?’ asked Sales.
Surprised, the Member for Grayndler barely moved to deflect.
‘Oh look, I’m not aware of all the details of that, that’s a matter for Channel Nine and 60 Minutes,’ he said.
When Sales pressed the question and asked why he wasn’t curious about it, he tried to change the subject.
‘What I’m concerned about here, Lee is the outcomes. What I’m concerned about is making sure the Labor Party is match fit in Victoria.’
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews (pictured) on Monday sacked the state’s Small Business Minister Adem Somyurek, a Turkish former taxi driver, over the branch stacking expose
Adem Somyurek pictured in May, 2019. He is said to have controlled two thirds of Victoria’s Labor Party through branch stacking
Sales promptly cut him off to point out many MPs would hold sensitive discussions in their offices including on national security and intelligence.
‘Will you be investigating further to find out whose offices it was, and if any of the information of that nature might have been compromised?’ she asked.
Mr Albanese responded that it was not his job to investigate, and that Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews had forwarded investigations to Victoria’s anti-corruption body and police.
‘I’m just surprised that you don’t find that’s something you’d like to know if there are hidden cameras in the office of Federal Labor MPs,’ Ms Sales said in closing.
‘Well the police and the appropriate authorities are investigating all of these matters,’ Mr Albanese responded.
It capped off a horror day for Labor after the airing of shocking footage that claimed the scalps of two Victorian ministers with more expected to follow.
Mr Somyurek, a member of the ALP national executive, was exposed as having allegedly conducted a ‘stackathon’ that funnelled hundreds of fake members into local ALP branches.
He was caught on secret camera withdrawing money from an ATM on two separate credit cards, and handing it over along with dozens of party memberships in a blue folder to a Labor staffer to take back to headquarters.
Mr Somyurek was caught on audio tape bragging that he was more powerful than Premier Andrews, and he would be the one to say who is premier.
He was also secretly recorded calling a female colleague a ‘stupid b****’ and describing staff members as ‘slimy little gay f***ers’.
Pictured (left to right): Jaclyn Symes, Gabrielle Williams, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews, Melissa Horne and Adem Somyurek in 2018
Mr Andrews sacked Mr Somyurek on Monday, moved to expel him from the Labor Party and referred him to the state’s police and anti-corruption commission.
Victoria’s Assistant Treasurer Robin Scott resigned on Monday just hours after the sacking.
The Age investigative reporter Nick McKenzie told Channel Nine on Monday afternoon ‘more recordings’ and ‘more evidence’ in relation to Mr Scott would be released.
