The head of the Illawarra trade union movement will go head-to-head against Labor’s Noreen Hay to run as an independent candidate at next month’s NSW Election.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
On Wednesday, South Coast Labour Council secretary Arthur Rorris announced his resignation from the Australian Labor Party, of which he has been a member for decades.
‘‘These are personal decisions that I have taken after very careful consideration,’’ he said, in a statement.
‘‘Decisions that have been heavily influenced by the growing chorus of concern in the broader community that Wollongong may be condemned to another four years of ineffectual and controversial representation in Macquarie Street.’’
‘‘Quite simply, we cannot afford this – not now, not again.’’
A rift between Mr Rorris and Ms Hay has been evident for some time, but came to a head in December when he - along with a number of other long-time members - were physically escorted off the premises and refused a vote in Labor's controversial Wollongong preselection ballot.
In the lead up to the vote, the preselection was plagued with allegations of branch stacking, doctored minutes and dodgy attendance books.
There were also reports that Sussex Street was "pulling out all stops" to protect Ms Hay from challengers.
The ALP's NSW head office backed the decision to deny Mr Rorris a vote, saying he didn’t satisfy the rules to qualify for a preselection vote.
But the snub appears to have been the final straw for the trade union official.
‘‘We, the citizens of Wollongong deserve better, much better than the humiliation that has been unfairly bestowed on us by politicians that arrogantly assume that they own seats,’’ he said.
‘‘Politicians whose loyalty is given to party bosses and political machines over and above the people who have elected them.’’
Mr Rorris’s announcement raises big questions about whether Wollongong Lord Mayor Gordon Bradbery will once again run as an independent in the seat.
When he ran at the 2011 election, he reduced Ms Hay’s margin to just 680 votes.
On Wednesday morning, Cr Bradbery only said Mr Rorris's candidacy was ‘‘an interesting development’’ for him to consider.
He said he would need to speak to Mr Rorris before making any decisions.
The Mercury has contacted Ms Hay for comment.
