More than 20 federal Labor MPs in Victoria won’t be preselected for their seats in the next federal election until a judge rules on the nomination process.
Preselection opened on Tuesday for 21 electorates the party considers safe, and for the new seat of Hawke in Melbourne’s west.
Nominations closed on Friday morning and despite all sitting MPs facing no challenge to their candidacy, a Victorian supreme court judge has barred the ALP from officially declaring their preselection, AAP reports.
Three candidates were nominated to represent Hawke and a ballot to choose the candidate was due to be held on Friday afternoon.
But ALP affiliated unions have been granted an ongoing injunction until at least late May, after arguing that the process under which preselection was to occur was invalid.
The Victorian branch of the Labor party has been under the control of the party’s national executive since June last year, after allegations of branch stacking were raised…