By Michael Sinclair
VICTORIA Police could launch an investigation into embattled Keilor MP George Seitz as early as this week after receiving a formal complaint from the State Opposition.
But the long-time politician is also set to face the heat from within his party before the state election in November after a group of ALP members last week threatened to go on strike if the party was not seriously “cleaned up”.
Mr Seitz, who is Labor’s longest serving state politician having been first elected to the Legislative Assembly in 1982, may not have such a definite stranglehold on his seat as he once did after a revolt by the rank-and-file members.
In a letter sent to all state ALP branches last week and obtained by Star, members of the Broadmeadows branch said they would strike at the forthcoming state election if something wasn’t done to improve the conduct of sitting members and staffers like Mr Seitz.
“We, the members of the Broadmeadows branch of the ALP, wish to express our disgust at the unethical and damaging conduct of many high-profile ALP sitting members and staffers … for example, the disgraceful conduct of Mr George Seitz MLA,” it read.
“The members of this branch will not help in fund-raising, letter boxing and the manning of (polling) booths at the next state election.”
Adding to Mr Seitz’s political woes, was a call from Geelong frontbencher Elaine Carbines to Steve Bracks to step in and do something.
It followed a meeting of 11 party branches, who voted for Mr Seitz’s preselection to be withdrawn and for the seat to be reopened.
Mr Bracks, who is a member of Mr Seitz’s Right faction, has refused to launch an investigation and withdraw Mr Seitz’s endorsement.
But Mr Seitz could be investigated for illegal activity, after Liberal Scrutiny Of Government spokesman Richard Dalla-Riva wrote to Chief Police Commissioner Christine Nixon two weeks after Mr Bracks refused to launch his own investigation into the long serving MP.
In further correspondence, Ms Nixon’s chief of staff, Superintendent Andrew Allen, last week said police treated the allegations seriously and an investigation could be launched.
“Victoria Police is currently assessing the information provided by Mr Dalla-Riva in order to establish if an investigation is deemed appropriate,” Supt Allan told Star.
Mr Seitz, 65, has refused to speak to Star about a number of allegations that have been made against him but he has denied all the allegations.
While Mr Seitz has been accused of stacking branches to retain his plum seat, the most damning allegations raised against him are that he used more than $300,000 of community bingo funds to buy a house in Portarlington, which was then leased out and the rental income used to pay for people to join his local ALPbranch.
“I think the Premier needs to understand that these are serious allegations with witnesses that are prepared to come forward,” Mr Dalla-Riva told Star last week.
“Unless he (Mr Bracks) starts to take these matters seriously he is at a grave risk of being seen to being supportive of Mr Seitz and that is a dangerous position for state’s leader.
“I’m not interested in the factional brawling, what’s right and what’s proper is that there is an investigation into the allegations that go to the very heart of why we’re members (of parliament),” he said.
