KEVIN Rudd has been embarrassed over Labor’s candidate for the Sydney seat of Bennelong, with the party moving to sack the councillor before he is dragged into an ICAC hearing.
Only days after the Prime Minister attempted to distance federal Labor from the troubled NSW branch, the Independent Commission Against Corruption yesterday confirmed Ryde councillor Jeff Salvestro-Martin would appear next week.
Mr Salvestro-Martin is standing against Bennelong Liberal MP John Alexander on a margin of about 3 per cent.
ICAC alleges Mr Salvestro-Martin and other councillors received undisclosed political donations in the form of election advertising in the lead up to the September 2012 local government elections.
The party yesterday decided to recommended to the national executive before it meets this weekend that Mr Salvestro-Martin’s endorsement be withdrawn because of the ICAC matter.
The move comes after Mr Rudd announced after resuming power that the federal branch of Labor would launch an intervention into the scandal-plagued NSW branch because of the recent corruption allegations of corruption against former state ministers.
NSW Opposition leader John Robertson later said it was his understanding that the ALP’s federal office had decided to dump Mr Salvestro-Martin.
“I understand that that’s the decision that’s been taken by the federal office and that’s a matter in the end for the prime minister,” he said.
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