VIC: Delahunty best for front bench, says Brumby

AAP General News (Australia)
02-17-1999
VIC: Delahunty best for front bench, says Brumby

MELBOURNE, Feb 17 AAP - Opposition Leader John Brumby said he would recommend elevating new
Labor recruit Mary Delahunty to Labor's frontbench to take the place of former upper house
leader Theo Theophanous, who resigned today.

Mr Brumby said he had met with Mr Theophanous today after he had commented that Labor
needed a "new direction", told him his behaviour was unacceptable, and demanded his
resignation.

Mr Brumby said he planned to call a meeting of all opposition MPs later today or early
tomorrow to tell them of Mr Theophanous' resignation and to recommend he be replaced with Ms
Delahunty.

Mr Theophanous, the MP for Jika Jika in northern Melbourne, had held the portfolios of
WorkCover, employment and industry.

His resignation follows several weeks of instability in the party with a widening rift
between the parliamentary ALP and the trade union movement.

Mr Brumby signalled he would proceed with tomorrow's launch of the party's policy platform
as planned, saying it was the key to renewal and positioning of the ALP before the next
election.

"Over the last 18 months, the party has been busy developing policy, we have been building
on the renewal that has taken place over the last two or three years in the party and we have
put an enormous amount of work into this policy platform," Mr Brumby said.

"It has become apparent to me that over the last few weeks and despite my best efforts and
those of other senior members of the parliamentary team to promote those new policies that
some elements in the Labor Party have been undermining those efforts.

"I have spoken to Mr Theophanous this morning, I have said that his behaviour was
unacceptable, I demanded his resignation and he has resigned."

Mr Brumby said he would recommend Ms Delahunty, who won the seat of Northcote at a
by-election last August, be promoted to the cabinet at the upcoming caucus meeting.

AAP kmh/ra/jlw/cfm/pa

KEYWORD: ALP VIC BRUMBY LEAD

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