Labor's powerful national executive is concerned with the party's preselection processes in the ACT, opening the door for the party's national branch to step in and take over the process.
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The national executive met on Friday, less than 24 hours after a local ACT administration committee committed to investigate how a flyer making personal allegations against preselection candidate Kel Watt was distributed to members.
ACT Labor secretary Matt Byrne confirmed the national executive committee, which includes leader Bill Shorten, would meet next week to discuss "matters pertaining to the preselection".
Mr Byrne said it had deferred endorsing the ACT's preselection timetable.
A motion about the ACT branch at the national executive referred to the "alleged conduct of individuals" and committed the body to ensuring the preselections are "conducted in an open manner over a timetable that is in the best interests of the Labor Party".
It also gave the executive committee, a smaller group of the national executive, the power and authority to resolve matters around preselection in the ACT.
The national executive committee has already been called on to decide the party's preselections in Victoria, where factional battles and a redistribution resulting in a new seat have also led to tension within the party.
The ACT administrative committee said a panel would be appointed next week to investigate flyers sent to members this week making personal allegations against Mr Watt.
"The administrative committee agreed to a motion last night which will see the party appoint a three-person panel consisting of former eminent MPs or MLAs to oversee the investigation being conducted by the party office," Mr Byrne said.
He said Labor would help police with any requests for information and labelled the flyer "an egregious attack on a member of our party".
"We have recently conducted a review into our party's culture and processes in relation to bullying, harassment and assault and I am appalled that someone or some group of people would try to highjack our preselection process to make personal attacks on a member in this way," he said.
"Anyone with a legitimate claim should make their complaint to the police and through the ALP's formal complaints processes."
The party's national secretary, Noah Carroll, was contacted for comment.
