Labor MPs jockey for position on election tickets as party braces for losses
Labor will not have upper house candidates locked in until one month before the Victorian election, leaving senior ministers in political purgatory, as the party grapples with the prospect of losing almost half its MPs in the chamber.
Labor currently holds 15 seats in the 40-member chamber, but dire polling has the party bracing for major losses.
While the party currently has two MPs in all regions except one, Labor expects almost all its candidates in the number two position on their ballots will be turfed out at the election.
In this scenario, Labor's representation in the upper house would be reduced to just nine MPs.
Factional groupings have been thrashing out deals to protect and prioritise MPs in losing positions, dragging out the process and frustrating MPs unsure of their candidacy.
Senior ministers Ingrid Stitt and Enver Erdogan both currently hold the second position in their regions.
A deal hashed out in an attempt to spare Mr Erdogan has angered local members, who are petitioning the party to retain their existing MP.
Enver Erdogan has served as member for Northern Metropolitan Region since 2022. (ABC News: Danielle Bonica)
An "indicative timeline", due to be approved by the party's administrative committee tonight, confirmed preselections for positions currently held by Labor will be decided by the national executive on October 21.
The remaining seats will be determined a week later, one month before the November 28 election and just a few days before the government enters caretaker mode, according to the timeline obtained by the ABC.
Some MPs have privately complained of being kept out of the loop, leaving them wondering whether they should be investing in their campaign.
"It's completely disrespectful and contemptible to treat sitting [members of the Legislative Council] in this way," one source said on condition of anonymity.
Handshake agreement sends senior minister to safer position
The ABC has confirmed with several sources that a handshake agreement will move Mr Erdogan to the safer top position in Eastern Victoria, which covers Gippsland.
The existing MP there, Tom McIntosh, will take Mr Erdogan's position as the second candidate in the Northern Metro.
Tom McIntosh may be moved from his current seat to give Enver Erdogan a better chance at remaining in parliament. (Supplied)
Labor is hopeful of retaining two MPs in that electorate, which covers the inner-north and stretches to the outskirts of the northern suburbs, though it is less secure than his existing top spot for Labor in Eastern Victoria.
The two MPs are from separate subgroups within Labor's broader Right faction, which are blocs of members and powerbrokers who share allegiances.
The ABC contacted the MPs on Thursday.
Sonny Stephens, Labor's candidate in the lower house seat Gippsland East, in August launched a petition to keep Mr McIntosh in the top position in Eastern Victoria. Three hundred members signed her petition, which she will send to the national executive on Thursday night.
Sonny Stephens says Labor members feel disappointed with the decisions. (Supplied)
Ms Stephens told the ABC that Mr McIntosh was hardworking and a "stunningly good politician".
She said she had heard from members a "frustration with a process that doesn't appear to reward effort".
"The emotion that a decision like this generates among the members is just a terrible thing. It's not what you want in the run-up to the election," Ms Stephens said.
"People feel disappointed. They feel powerless. Hopefully the petition is one way they can vent their frustration."
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