VIC: Protester disrupts ALP state conference

AAP General News (Australia)
12-12-1998
VIC: Protester disrupts ALP state conference

MELBOURNE, Dec 12 AAP - Security guards had to deal with a lone protester before the
Victorian state ALP conference got underway in Melbourne today.

A woman, carrying a placard saying "John Brumby stand down", refused to leave the front of
the conference room at Monash Universitys Clayton campus.

After climbing on the stage, where party officials were sitting, she was escorted to the
back of the hall by two security guards.

The conference is considering recommendations by Mike Dreyfus, QC, who has put forward a
range of measures to tackle branch stacking and factional in-fighting.

ALP state president Jill Hennessy urged the 400 delegates not to waste time pointing
fingers and making counter accusations - but to debate what type of Labor Party Victorians
deserved.

ALP state secretary John Lenders said more fundraisng was needed if Labor was to be
competitive at the next Victorian state election, which could be called in six months time.

He said that in the 1996 election the Liberal party had 1,192 advertisements on Melbourne
television compared with Labors 78, which was a ratio of 15 to 1.

"We cannot let that happen again," he said.

AAP lmw/jmr/cjh

KEYWORD: ALP VIC

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