Labor
THE PLUMBERS: Will they get Lucky with Murphy but be Leane with Shaun?
The Victorian ALP preselections are nearing their thrilling conclusion with almost all battles resolved, other than an internal Labor Unity stoush in the leafy formerly marginal seat of Ivanhoe. And of course Brunswick and Pascoe Vale. There’s more voting there tonight, so we’ll be sure to update with any results as they come in.
One fascinating arm-wrestle continues in the upper house northern metropolitan seat and in its eastern neighbour.
It has been widely anticipated that the Plumber’s union backed Nathan Murphy, who came very close to winning the federal seat of Scullin at the last round of federal preselections, would get the nod for the third position there.
However what might complicate Lucky Murph’s long-awaited and much-anticipated elevation to Parliament is more potential meddling in internal party members by certain egomaniacs running loose in the Premier’s office. Some of them have a curious attachment to Murph’s intra-factional colleague Shaun Leane who originally hailed from the electricians part of the CEPU but now rolls with Earl Setches of the plumbers.
Sentimental attachment has been ruled out given that Leane has only been in Parliament one term. Indeed it is rumoured that Brumby COS Dan O’Brien had never heard of him until recent preselection discussions. Leane himself is widely regarded as a very nice man but who has “TIME-SERVER” stamped on his back-bench upper house seat. Internal caucus critics say he checked his niceness at the door when putting the highly regarded Helen Buckingham to the sword to claim his seat in the first place.
The Premier’s staff meddling in the preselection process could cost Nathan Murphy his seat for the reason that senior Treasury official and legal scholar Vasko Nastevski, who is completing a PhD in military law and human rights abuses (something that would stand him in good stead in comprehending the Victorian ALP) has nominated in both the eastern and northern metropolitan seats.
Some believe that his Labor Unity faction will be strongly inclined to back Nastevski in Eastern Metropolitan but would would move him to the northern one should the Premier’s office demand Leane stay on for one more term. Many are keen not to lose an outside candidate of that quality although it certainly creates a dilemma because of the desire to accommodate Nathan Murphy.
Is this yet another example of the Premier’s office dabbling in matters likely to explode in their face? Labor insiders remain hopeful that wiser heads will prevail.
Discussion
72 comments for “THE PLUMBERS: Will they get Lucky with Murphy but be Leane with Shaun?”
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Leane is a massively underrated operator. Very sharp, and a champ to boot. Andrea Coote cringes at his ocker accent — that’s why we like him.
Premiers office should just piss off and should worry about running the state with good policies. They have messed up on many issues already and now they want to stuff up internal preselections. Who do they think they are? They are not political players. Who made them god. They shouldn’t try and mingle with internal politics it might just blow right up in there face especially in the future.
Shaun is a gun, and is massively regarded in the local branches.
Would be a huge loss to see him relegated to an unwinnable 3rd spot in Eastern Metro.
Who is this Vasco De gama Putz anyway?
No surprise that COS Dan O Brien is totally ignorant of who’s who’s in the Party (Seane) because Dan is a bloody Bureaucrat! (Lord bless us and save us Mother Mc’Nabb!) from Brumby and his legendary impetuosity of picking up non ALP strays and then trying to foist them on us.
Theo Theophanous should take a polygraph to end this sham.
I’m laughing my ass off!
WHy doesn’t Murphy take Darvaniza’s spot. She’s been there a while and is useless.
how many spots to the plumbers think they are entitled to
murphy missed scullin because he is a dud
Nastevski is a Richardson/Lenders stooge, who will probably last as long as his Looksmart mate
who is Darvaniza
By taking out leane i will demonstrate to the world that i am bigger than th labor party.
Vote 1 greens
Vote 1 les twentyman
Live by the sword die by the sword Leane. They can toss in Traitor Tee and get rid of this undeserving duo.
What’s the result from Brunswick and Ivanhoe ?
Craig Langdon has one the plebicite.
72% to 28%
Garrett 110 v Erdogan 71
Langdon – 61%
Carbines – 39%
Langdon doesnt have a hope … he will be destroyed by a different kind of snake at the general election
Murphy is a dud, just another time server. I went to Uni with him he can barely string a sentence together.
Nathan Murphy is a nice guy but a complete moron, truly he is not fit for politics and everyone knows it. This divvying up of seats like hereditary peerages is sooo crass-why do these people think they are entitled? The bods they put up do nothing and contribute nothing when they get their arse on the seat. Nathan Murphy puh…..lease!! Nathan backed by the plumbers has whored around every faction in the ALP to get his chance, it will be bloody funny if he dips out again.
61% ain’t enough in Ivanhoe for Langdon . . . .
Turfing Leane out will be a considerable loss for Eastern Metro. The local members will be rather p***ed.
Langdon’s days are numbered.
Carbines has missed out his challenge against Langdon, his effort is as dismal as his pathetic efforts in Education.
If Langdon can hang on to Ivanhoe after what he got up to with Jake the Snake then it seems I have a good chance of holding on to Eastern Metro.
Craig, txt me to tell me how it’s done. Wld be hot.
The Premiers Office has gone from an organ of government that everyone used to respect, under Bracks, to now one that everyone hates and universally have a view that all they do is meddle in internal ALP affairs rather then run the state.
Lets look at their crimes.
Meddled in the position of the State Secretary and lied to the NUW that they would back a coup.
Failed to act properly in response to the Brimbank BS and ended up meddling again in internal ALP affairs.
Have been trying to insert their stooge into State Office since the first failed coup.
Supported the Austrian Land Lord George Seit’z attacks on Labor marginal seat members of parliament.
..and now trying to meddle in ALP preselections.
Hand up anyone who actually likes them!
I work for them and i hate em. Hear hear Stuffy lawyer
Nathan Murphy is a staunch member of the ALP he only lost last time by the tiniest of margins thanks to the CFMEU hopefully this time he will get the position that he deserves, he has good strong values comes from a good Labor background and a union background and will no doubt be a working member not like some of the duds we have in Parliament.
is the upperhouse just a dumping pit for unoin hacks
if murphy and the rest of them are so good then why cant they go win a marginal seat
Union Solidarity
no he lost because he spoke to the members
The point is that Murphy is only being considered because of who his father is, not is merits. I’m not really sure that this hereditary peer system we have got going -Creans, Beazleys, Ferg’sons, Jenkins, Theophanouses and now Murphys, Blandthorns and Hutchins’ wives is necessarily the most sound model for preselecting the best candidates.
The Scullin preselection a few years back was quite amusing as it pitted the old product of nepotism against the young product of nepotism.
The Upperhouse is like the Lavatory – it is a receptacle for human wastes.
The next battle in Ivanhoe is Olympia Ward!
Craig the snake Langdon has 2 problems remaining, posc and/or Nat. Sec.
They say MPs are so well compensated(at least 130K for a backbencher)because they need to be paid comparatively to what they could earn if they chose to work in the private sector. Nathan Murphy would NEVER earn 130K in the private sector. Come to thinlk of it not many MPs would have the ability to earn that much…
Some MP’s are worth a lot more than that and have given up careers where they could be raking it in. It’s not about money, it’s about power. As for Nathan he’d probably make a better pollie than a plumber lol
Half the MPs in Spring Street would never earn $130k PA in the private sector, many would only be on A Supported Wage.
Well the majority of MPs arent worth 130K. Perhaps someone could produce a list of those that are worth the generous renumeration. I dare say it will be a short list.
Overpaid maybe you think pollies shouldn’t be paid at all then only rich people could do it.
They should be paid commensurate to what they actually do which for some MPs is not very much at all. I know that some MPs work the 4T shift(10-2 Tuesday to Thursday).
very funny Overpaid have never heard that one before.
Overpaid, isn’t that 6T?
Ten To Two Tuesday To Thursday?
MP’s should be paid the average salary of full-time Victorian workers.
That way they get paid no more no less than the average person in this state they represent.
No just the 4T, you use a dash to join the words.
On you Dean!!!Shaun should piss off and Marshall what a bloody disgrace you turned out to be..
RE: stuffy lawyer – it’s not a matter of liking them, who ever said politics was about making friends?
It’s matter of whether or not they are competent.
Quite apart from meddling in capital P party matters (and the relationship between the party and the parliamentary is vexed one for all political parties) they have a shallow depth of talent. Not just in the PPO but the CoS for ministers are the last men and women standing.
Anyone with ability has been poached by the private sector or gone to the Feds. Sad, but true.
Labor is spiralling out of control. A bunch of no talent people being preselected because they are supported by some of the most out of touch faction leaders ever to grace the party. So the Premier’s office knows or suspects this and they blunder in and make things worse. Party office either fiddling whilst Rome burns, or actively throwing wood on the fire. The only things saving the whole thing going up in flames are the fact that Ted Ballieu and Malcolm Turnbull are leaders. What happens when the Libs change leaders?
OUTSPOKEN union boss Dean Mighell has been branded dishonourable by a former ally for trying to have a Brumby Government MP dumped.
Labor senator Gavin Marshall accused the Electrical Trades Union secretary of “wanting to walk both sides of the street” — seeking to influence Labor preselections while also bankrolling independent candidates standing against the ALP.
Senator Marshall, a former assistant secretary of the ETU, said Mr Mighell was trying to get state Labor MP Shaun Leane dumped as payback for Mr Leane’s previous public criticism of Mr Mighell.
“It would be untenable and farcical for the party to reward Dean Mighell for this sort of behaviour by knocking off Shaun,” Senator Marshall told The Age. “That’s the price Dean Mighell is seeking to extract from the party as part of his vendetta against Shaun.”
Mr Leane, himself a former ETU official, is being challenged for preselection for his eastern suburbs upper house seat by Mr Mighell’s assistant secretary, Howard Worthing.
Senator Marshall said Mr Leane’s position was protected under the terms of a “stability deal” struck early this year between key faction chiefs and backed by Premier John Brumby and Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard.
“I would be amazed if people want, at this late stage, to unpick the stability deal in order to reward Dean,” he said.
Mr Leane last year accused Mr Mighell of misusing union members’ money to help a mate, after the ETU backed prominent youth worker Les Twentyman as an independent against Labor in a byelection for the western suburbs state seat of Kororoit.
Senator Marshall yesterday said he expected the ETU would again back Mr Twentyman, as well as former independent federal MP Phil Cleary, if they decided to run as independents in Labor seats at next year’s state election.
Mr Mighell hit back yesterday, accusing Senator Marshall and Mr Leane of having used the ETU to get seats in Parliament but now undermining his hold on the union.
“Neither of them has any loyalty or integrity,” he said. “My advice to them would be, ‘It’s politics. Put the dummy back in and get on with it.’ ”
Mr Mighell said his ALP-affiliated union had made no decision on whether to back Mr Twentyman or Mr Cleary if they stood at the state election as independents, but made no apology for supporting Mr Twentyman in the Kororoit byelection.
“We’ve given support to the ALP where we think it’s appropriate, but it’s not the only show in town,” he said.
“We’ll put our members’ interests first, and the rank-and-file of our union — and I’m sure all unions — are extremely disappointed with the ALP and its policies on workers’ rights and health and safety in the workplace and a whole range of other issues.”
Mr Mighell said Senator Marshall and the ALP should remember that the ETU had contributed millions of dollars to the party over the past 10 years.
Last time I checked it was a free country of course the unions are dirty at the ALP have a look at our bloody policies. Look at the incompetence coming from premier’s office since Brumby has been premier. We are going downhill and the Libs will punish us come election time. GO DEAN MITCHELL
GO DEAN MITCHELL
who the f*cks Dean MItchell?
Dean Mitchell is the only one in the ALP with the cuts to stand up to the government thats who Dean Mitchell is
WTF
idiot are you sure you dont Dean Mighell thats MIG HELL
Dean, you missed your appointment with me last week, please call.
Madam Lash.
Sounds like deen needs some trans-sexual healing
Yes idiot it is MIG HELL and how did your hero get these “cuts” to stand up to the ALP ??? Did he get them from you Madam Lash ???
You’re wrong anon Dean turned up for 10 of the best but his mate Marshall is also a regular. But he prefers his from little girls!!
Some changes in premiers office I hear
Hope that moron cargill is getting the flick
The Premier needs some help and not the bullshit his present advisors have been doling out.
Cassandra Boland (SDA) joins the Social Policy team..
Anita Hirschhorn and Tim Watts move on.
Sarah Dolan to lead the media team.
Terry Seymour pulls way more votes than Marco. This is insane.
Can someone please shine a light on all of this. What’s going on.
What is it with you and ’shining lights’ Shauny? Get a grip on it.
Do you weep for me Jamie. Does my innocence still haunt you at night?
Cassie Boland is a great girl. She was a solicitor at MB’s really like her-glad she is kicking on. Go Cassie Girl!!
re: Premiers Office Changes
your not just judging her by her looks are ya
No Anon-not judging her on her looks (Cassie Boland). She is smart, she is compassionate, and she is a really nice person. I wish her well.
nobody from SDA is compassinate. its not all about looks
Nathan is not a moron.He is a good looking fellow who deserve some respect from that uni… moron mate. grow up and get a life….
Forget about Murphy
Theo is back
Murphy’s going to be the horse that never started. Theo has no case to answer and has more talent in one finger than Murphy has in his entire body.
There is no such thing as the ‘Premier’s Office Faction’, just a group of over ambitious 20-somethings with no hard votes.
hi all how any good news to read
can someone tell me whats going on with the labor party at the National conference.