RED SHIRTS AFFAIR
Earlier this year the Victorian Ombudsman found that some Labor party members misused their entitlements during the 2014 Victorian election campaign in what has been described as the "Red Shirts Affair". There have been damning statements made to a Parliamentary Privileges Committee and there is currently an investigation being undertaken by Victoria Police regarding this conduct.
On its face, this conduct could well amount to misfeasance in public office. I have instructed a solicitor to brief a barrister at the Victorian Bar to advise on all available remedies against all those involved in the Red Shirts Affair to recover the loss and damage suffered by me and the Australian Country Party as a consequence of their misconduct.
In the 2014 election I ran in the Northern Victoria Region and according to election analyst Anthony Green, and the VEC, I missed out on being elected to the 5thposition by approximately 168 votes. Instead Labor was elected to this seat.
Our review will also assess if there is a possibility for a group action and we are interested to hear from other non-Labor candidates that believe they missed being elected or suffered losses as a result of the Red Shirt Affair.
Robert Danieli
