Alp Power Outage In Latrobe Valley

The Age

Tuesday November 21, 2006

By PAUL AUSTIN and FARRAH TOMAZIN

A FORMER Labor MP has hit out at the "faceless factional heavyweights" who run the party and is campaigning against the ALP in a marginal Latrobe Valley seat.

Derek Amos, who was ALP member for Morwell from 1970-81, has quit the party in protest against the activities of the present member, Brendan Jenkins, branding him a "creature of the left" and accusing the faction of "prostituting the ALP".

"For far too long anyone or any section of the Latrobe Valley which dared to have a different view of the world than our local member and his surrounding Left clique have been ignored, criticised or punished," said Cr Amos, now a councillor for the city of Latrobe.

In his letter of resignation to ALP State Secretary Stephen Newnham, dated November 9 and obtained by The Age, Mr Amos writes: "The behaviour of the factions within the party have destroyed any resemblance of democracy and care for the rights of rank-and-file members, and this is translating into an alarming fall in public support for the party in this region".

Cr Amos was one of four senior members of the Traralgon ALP branch who staged an 11th-hour mutiny against Mr Jenkins by resigning from Labor about 10 days ago - on the final day of candidate nominations for Saturday's election.

He told The Age the decision was a "traumatic" move. However, he said he had had enough of Traralgon being under-represented by the local member and of branch members being treated like "election fodder."

But Premier Steve Bracks said he disagreed with Cr Amos' views, pointing out that the area had boomed since Labor came to office.

"The reality is . . . we've served this electorate well," Mr Bracks said. "There's been growth here, in employment, in industry and in population."

Cr Amos, who until his resignation was president of Labor's Traralgon branch, is urging voters in Morwell to support former branch secretary Lisa Proctor, who has also quit and is standing in Saturday's election as an independent.

Ms Proctor is directing her preferences away from Mr Jenkins, and Cr Amos said he would hand out how-to-vote cards in Ms Proctor's favour at Saturday's poll.

Morwell is one of Labor's most vulnerable seats, and is held by Mr Jenkins with only a 5 per cent margin.

But Mr Jenkins said Labor had boosted health, education and public transport for the area, and while some branch members had walked out, others had recommitted themselves to Labor's campaign.

Asked why his executive members walked out, Mr Jenkins replied: "I don't know, you'll have to ask them."