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April 10th, 2013 
SENIOR federal minister Bill Shorten has defended Labor’s preselection for the Melbourne seat of Gellibrand, amid reports a dirt sheet was circulated against a failed candidate.
Tim Watts, a corporate affairs manager at Telstra, won the preselection battle for the safe Labor seat on Tuesday night, which is being vacated by former attorney-general Nicola Roxon.
The campaign reportedly included a dirt sheet which made defamatory allegations about failed candidate Katie Hall, who was a former staffer of Ms Roxon.
Mr Watts, a former staffer of Communications Minister Stephen Conroy, was the only candidate left standing at the meeting to settle the preselection on Tuesday, after the other candidates withdrew.
Senator Conroy on Tuesday said he was “very disappointed to see some very, very grubby tactics employed by some people behind the scenes” during the campaign.
Mr Shorten was asked on Wednesday whether he was upset at Senator Conroy for any role he may have played in the preselection process.
“No I’m not,” Mr Shorten told ABC TV on Wednesday night.
“All parties go through preselection processes.”
He also backed Mr Watts as a good candidate for the seat.
“I think he’ll make a very good contribution,” Mr Shorten said.
Ms Hall said earlier she was upset and disgusted by the campaign against her.
“It’s pretty sickening stuff and it’s very unfortunate that those sorts of tactics are used,” she told ABC TV.
“They have no place in the Labor Party.”
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