Latham offers seat to rocker

2004-06-07 08:06

Sydney - Opposition leader Mark Latham sparked a grass roots revolt in his Labour party on Monday by announcing the offer of a parliamentary seat to former rock star Peter Garrett.

Latham told reporters the bald-headed former front man for the rock band Midnight Oils had been offered the Sydney seat of Kingsford Smith - one of the safest Labour seats in the country - to fight the election expected by the end of this year.

"It would be a great honour for the Labour Party to have him among our ranks," Latham told commercial television, adding that the party needed idealistic high-profile members like Garrett in Canberra.

"The offer is there for him to run as our candidate in Kingsford Smith if he chooses to take it up. I think he would be a great asset to the parliament, a great asset to our national politics."

But officials of the Kingsford Smith branch said Garrett is not even a member of the Labour Party and, in any case, they would prefer to elect their own candidate to succeed retiring MP, Laurie Brereton, and would not have one foisted on them by Latham.

Well to the left of centre

Garrett, idolised by a generation of Australian rock fans, is a prominent environmentalist and champion of Aboriginal rights, who has projected an image usually seen as well to the left of the centre-left Labour Party.

The powerful construction, forestry, mining and energy union immediately released a statement warning there would be "a massive backlash" if Garrett was pre-selected for the seat.

Former state politician and senior Kingsford Smith official Johnno Johnson said Garrett was not eligible to stand as a Labour candidate.

"You can only be a candidate for the Australian Labour Party if you are a member of the Australian Labour Party," said Johnson.

"There are certain requirements laid down as to what qualifications a candidate needs and one of them is a lengthy period of membership within the party.

"He's not a member of the party."

Johnson warned there would be "an almighty brawl" if the branch was forced to accept Garrett. "The members in Kingsford Smith are not open to be persuaded on this issue. We don't want Peter Garrett."

- AFP