Branch stacking dogs the Labor Party
Today the Victorian Labor Party is embroiled in allegations of branch stacking, with calls for the Labor State Premier, Steve Bracks, to clean up the problem in Victoria. ALP President Brian Daley, a member of the Left, called on the Victorian Labor Party to stop corruption practices occurring at local branches. Branch staking can occur when a person’s membership is obtain through an inducement – such as offering to pay for their membership – and also involves deliberately increasing the number political party members in a branch, either legally or illegally, in order to win internal party ballots. The problem is not limited to Victoria or the Labor party – according to the Head of Politics and International Relations at Macquarie University, Geoffrey Hawker, it a scourge facing Western Democracies around the world. However, he told The Wire that if it is allowed to continue within the Labor Party, it threatens to stem the flow of young, energetic party members to necessary for the future vitality of the party.