Seven people will face a NSW Labor party tribunal over allegations of “unworthy conduct” following a report into branch stacking in western Sydney.
But NSW Labor leader Jodi McKay has insisted the party does not have systemic issues with branch stacking and corruption.
News of the report, which is yet to be publicly released but was apparently given to party heads in March, broke in the media this week.
The report suggests seven party members engaged in unworthy conduct and evidence had been found that meeting records were falsified at several branches, The Daily Telegraph reported.
McKay, who asked for the investigation, addressed the allegations on Thursday saying she had read parts of the report relating to members of parliament.
She said she had accepted the explanation of Granville Labor MP Julia Finn, who was reportedly alleged to have breached party rules but with no action recommended against her.
“In regard to Julia, there was no finding of unworthy conduct,” McKay told reporters in Sydney.
“I have met with Julia a number of times, she’s provided an explanation and I am satisfied by that explanation.”
Finn in a later statement said the investigation “found no wrongdoing on my part.”
She said the investigation considered an ALP Christmas party branch meeting in 2014, before she was an MP.
She had passed on her apologies as she was unlikely to make the meeting on her schedule, but was “pleasantly surprised” to arrive before it finished and signed the attendance book.
McKay said the seven people subject to party charges would front the tribunal when it could meet.
The NSW opposition leader said she was frustrated by the amount of time the process was taking but “we’ve been in the middle of a pandemic.”
“I am satisfied that given the fact that we’ve had a by-election in Eden-Monaro—but more importantly, given we’re in the middle of a pandemic where no one has been able to meet face-to-face - that the right process is occurring,” McKay said.
The Eden-Monaro federal by-election is scheduled for July 4.
McKay’s comments on Thursday came after she was censured in the lower house, where the coalition government has a majority.
Liberal frontbencher Anthony Roberts moved the censure motion against the NSW Labor leader on Wednesday for “her three month failure to address publicly, or to act on serious allegations of systemic falsifying of records.”
McKay said she had stood firm against bad behaviour within her party many times and would continue to do so. She said it was important that the independent investigation was able to see itself through.
