It’s just over a week since it became clear Ricky Muir had won a federal senate seat for Victoria under the banner of the Australian Motoring Enthusiast Party (AMEP). But already fractures are showing after the AMEP national executive sacked its Victorian executive on the weekend. Fairfax media reports:
The Queensland-based founders of the Australian Motoring Enthusiast Party have sacked the leadership of the Victorian arm of the party—effectively leaving the 32 year-old media-shy father of five representing a party that does not currently exist in that state.
That move was explained by Tony Standfield, AMEP chairman, as being necessary because: “The welfare of the AMEP has been compromised by sending conflicting messages to the public regarding AMEP’s opinion and stance on Road Safety initiatives.”
Further to that, Keith Littler, AMEP secretary, said: “The Victorian Federal State Executive has not been acting in the best interests of the party or the Senator-elect.”
That all sounds fair enough. However, the now former chairman of the Victorian executive, Scott McDonald, tells a different story: “They won’t allow Ricky to talk to anybody about anything. Not even his friends can get hold of him.”
McDonald adds the claim that Standfield and Littler want to “overpower Ricky”.
There’s suggestions the AMEP founders want to replace Muir with a new candidate. Publicly, though, the national executive is standing by its man, even though he currently has no staff in his home state.
“Of course he’ll take up the position. It’s his position, he won it,” Mr Littler said.
Littler explained Muir’s recent silence by saying the Senator-elect has been “very busy” and has been “undergoing training”.
It’s not the smoothest transition into political life for the AMEP. A week into its new political career, it looks as though the AMEP could be wearing L-plates for a little while yet.
[Source: The Canberra Times | Thanks to Stu for the tip]
