The head of Victoria's powerful Trades Hall Council has defended naming and shaming 23 state Labor MPs and candidates for having 'zero conversations' with their constituents in the past two weeks, saying they all need to 'work their ass off' to stop One Nation's rise.
Union Boss Expresses Anger
Luke Hilakari wrote to MPs and candidates on Tuesday morning warning if they 'don't give a shit about winning', they shouldn't expect support from the union movement during the November election campaign. As One Nation's popularity grows, Hilakari said the union movement was planning its 'biggest election campaign ever' and wanted to identify which MPs and candidates were actively campaigning in order to decide where to focus its efforts.
'I was frankly enraged to learn that 23 MPs or candidates have had ZERO conversations with voters in the last fortnight,' Hilakari wrote in the email, which had the subject line, 'Complacent MPs should not expect any support'. Those named include ministers Steve Dimopoulos, Sonya Kilkenny, Nick Staikos, Ros Spence and Natalie Suleyman, backbenchers and candidates in marginal seats.
Voter Contact Data Revealed
The data, reported fortnightly by Labor party headquarters since mid-2025, also showed that the premier knocked on 86 doors and spoke with 32 constituents, while the deputy premier, Ben Carroll, knocked on 35 and had 11 conversations with voters. Sarah McKenzie, who is seeking to reclaim the seat of Richmond from the Greens, had 270 conversations with constituents – more than any other candidate. She was followed by Sydenham candidate Uros Rasic, who had 180 conversations, and Clarinda MP Meng Heang Tak, spoke to 159 voters.
Warning of Consequences
Hilakari said if the MPs didn't lift voter contact in the next fortnight he would recommend to his executive council that 'no campaigning action happens in their seat'. He said if he were a member of the Labor party's administrative committee, he would also recommend stripping candidates of marginal seat support if they are eligible. 'We have thousands of union members ready to give up time with their families, attending street stalls, knocking on doors and making phone calls after work, because they understand just how disastrous a One Nation-Coalition government would be for the pay, conditions and quality of life of working Victorians,' Hilakari said. 'They have every right to expect the same commitment from you. The message is simple, start campaigning or start packing.'
Premier Defends Labor Team
The premier, Jacinta Allan, on Wednesday defended the Labor team, saying the data was not the only way to measure community engagement. 'There's forums, there's meetings, there's community events, there's the mobile office work. Not all of that necessarily gets captured in that data set but it is all about community engagement,' the premier told reporters. 'I know from my Labor team, the Labor team that I am proud to lead, that everyone is working incredibly hard.' Kilkenny, who had zero conversations with voters in the past fortnight, said all Labor MPs were 'focused on Victorians' and this could be demonstrated in several ways, including through her work as attorney general. 'Whether that's through phone banking, whether that's through door knocking, whether that's attending community events, meeting constituents, holding mobile offices, or drafting new laws like we are introducing today,' she said.
Union Boss Stands Firm
Hilakari told Guardian Australia on Wednesday he had heard from more than a dozen Labor MPs who were pleased with his intervention and 'frustrated by those who are dragging their heels'. He said a 'small handful' of the 23 named had contacted him and said his concerns could have been raised 'more quietly'. 'But we are beyond that time. Quiet conversations have been had, they have not been listened to, and we are five months away from an election,' he said. 'Every MP should be working their ass off right now to make sure that Pauline Hanson and One Nation doesn't become the majority party in the state of Victoria.' Recent polls have shown One Nation gain ground in Victoria while Labor's primary vote has slipped into the low 20s.
