In addition to the set-date training,the party was also offering on-request training sessions.
One of these sessions included an in-depth strategy session between the party office,the MP and their electorate offices where they could go and analyse the MP’s current campaign strategy and write an updated campaign plan.
The party offered a workshop on how to use its Campaign Central software – the tool used by WA Labor to run its political campaigns.
The CCC is also running a separate investigation intoclaims by a former employee of deputy premier Roger Cook that Labor Party donors received preferential treatment when applying for G2G travel passes during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Sanja Spasojevic claims she was unfairly dismissed by Cook and that case is currently being heard in the Industrial Relations Commission.
She has previously said that electorate office staff were routinely instructed to carry out Labor Party campaign work while being paid by taxpayers.
In recent weeks a number of senior Labor MPs,ministers and officeholders have been contacted by the CCC demanding they produce documents relating to the probe.
It’s understood the nature of the investigation closely resembles theVictorian Ombudsman’s “red shirts” inquiry into Daniel Andrews’ 2014 Labor Party election campaign.
The inquiry uncovered a major political scandal where 21 Labor MPs spent almost $400,000 of taxpayers’ money on Labor election campaign staff under the guise of electorate office work.
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In 2018 Ombudsman Deborah Glass’ office published a scathing report into the red shirts scheme,which found the 21 MPs to be in breach of their parliamentary guidelines and resulted in Labor repaying the money.
Those staffers were also field organisers who were part of Labor’s “grassroots” Community Action Network in Victoria.
WA Labor launched its own Community Action Network to great fanfare in April 2016 ahead of the 2017 state election.
The new probe will test out new investigation protocols established by the two houses of WA parliament and the CCC after the parliamentary privilege saga that erupted when the commission attemptedto get access to ex-Liberal MLC Phil Edman’s laptop for another electoral allowances investigation.
Premier Mark McGowan said on Tuesday he was not aware of any electoral allowances or resources being used to help run Labor election campaigns and was unaware of anything similar to the Victorian red shirts scheme operating in WA.
When questioned about the leaked training document and electioneering modules McGowan said he had received advice that the training was entirely appropriate for electorate officers who had “broad roles”.
“I’m advised the training is entirely appropriate for staff about what MPs do on a daily basis and staff need to be trained and communities need to be informed,” he said.
“An electorate staffer is a very broad role,so they need to assist the MP with their day-to-day duties.
“A lot of it is about providing information to your electorate,about social media,about how to put together mailouts,that’s what electorate officers do. They do it all the time.”
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Cook said he had not received any correspondence from the CCC and he did not know anything about the probe.
He said his office did not use taxpayer-funded resources,or money,to electioneer.
“I can,in all honesty,say that I spend a great deal of time and effort to make sure that I protect the integrity of the allowances that I’m entrusted with by government,” he said.
WA Labor secretary Ellie Whiteaker said the party offered “a range of training and professional development for volunteers,party members and employees of state and federal members of parliament”.
“All training and professional development for electorate office staff is appropriate and in accordance with all relevant rules and guidelines,” she said.
The CCC declined to comment with a spokeswoman saying on Monday it did not usually comment on whether it was or wasn’t conducting an investigation or whether it had received an allegation for a range of reasons.
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