Anthony Byrne co-operating with police and IBAC investigations (2024)

The federal Labor backbencher whose electorate office was the scene for the covert filming used to uncover the extent of wide-spread branch stacking within the Victorian division says he is co-operating with authorities.

Veteran MP Anthony Byrne, a long-serving member of the parliamentary intelligence and security committee, was a long-time ally of former Right faction powerbroker Adem Somyurek, who was sacked by Premier Daniel Andrews on Monday.

The Age and 60 Minutes investigation, which has led to the sacking or resignation of three Andrews government ministers, involved secret recordings of Mr Somyurek in Mr Byrne's Cranbourne West electorate office.

Liberal and Labor figures have expressed national security concerns that Mr Byrne's office may have been bugged.

Mr Byrne told The Age there was "misinformation circulating" about his role in the investigation, which had triggered Victoria Police and Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission investigations.

"I want to make clear that I take the matters raised recently seriously and have been in touch with authorities to offer my full assistance," Mr Byrne said.

"I welcome investigations into corruption, which has no place in the party I love.

"Because I do not want to cross over or impede any investigations that may be occurring, I'm unable to comment further at this point in time."

Sources familiar with the investigation told The Age Mr Byrne did not appear in any of the video recordings nor were there any discussions relating to national security or any parliamentary committees.

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Some Victorian Labor figures fear Mr Byrne could become a target for "political retribution" because the videos were filmed in his office.

Federal Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese said on Wednesday morning he had not spoken to Mr Byrne about the branch stacking within the Victorian division.

He defended the dramatic intervention from the federal ALP into the state party and insisted branch stacking was not a problem unique to Labor nor was it culturally ingrained.

Mr Albanese told Melbourne radio 3AW he had not spoken with Mr Byrne because if there was an active or previous investigation by the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission "you can't talk about it".

"You can't give answers to those questions," Mr Albanese said.

"Daniel Andrews on Monday morning at 9am, before I knew of any of Mr Byrne's office being a party to the filming... had already called in IBAC and the Victorian police."

He then conceded he did not know if Mr Byrne had been a witness before IBAC and would be "in a position to talk to him" if it was established he had not been.

"This is now a matter of a police investigation and an IBAC inquiry that is underway," he said.

"And one of the things that we have in this country is a separation of powers between political power and judicial power and the acts of the police and the security agencies."

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Attorney-General Christian Porter told federal Parliament the idea a "device" appeared to have been installed in the office of an MP was "a matter of some serious concern".

He said whether or not it required further inquiry would depend on whether the MP had themselves authorised or had knowledge of the installation of that device.

Mr Porter said it was "quite remarkable" that Mr Albanese said he had not realised the 60 Minutes footage had "both the map for the federal electoral division of Holt" and an "election poster with the member's name on it".

Andrew Hastie, who chairs the parliamentary joint committee on intelligence and security, said on Wednesday he was confident Mr Byrne would not have undertaken any actions that jeopardised national security.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said he did not believe IBAC had been investigating Labor branch-stacking before The Age and 60 Minutes story, saying the watchdog was "not in the habit of telling anyone … the work that they're doing".

State Labor MP Tim Richardson, an ally of Mr Somyurek, told Melbourne's Herald Sun on Wednesday the recordings were "a great concern for our commonwealth and our national security" because "we don't know what has been compromised".