Controversial former federal Labor MP Belinda Neal has been expelled from the party after a tribunal upheld charges she engaged in "unworthy conduct" related to branch stacking.
NSW Labor's Internal Appeals Tribunal recommended Ms Neal's expulsion on Monday morning, following revelations by Fairfax Media in February.
![Belinda Neal has been expelled from the Labor Party.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170725095348im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/u/i/x/j/a/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gxh5s8.png/1500857936895.jpg)
Party officers acted on the recommendation shortly afterwards. NSW ALP general secretary Kaila Murnain tweeted: "The Party Officers today adopted the decision of the Internal Appeals Tribunal and resolved that Belinda Neal be expelled from NSW Labor".
Fairfax Media revealed Ms Neal was charged under party rules by 75-year-old ALP member Lisa Young, who alleged that, "on several occasions" in 2015, Ms Neal attended her Woy Woy home "and asked me to sign the Woy Woy branch book".
The practice is known as "walking the books" and is prohibited under ALP rules.
At the time, Ms Neal was seeking preselection for the seat of Robertson at the 2016 federal election.
"I now believe that Ms Neal attended my home on those occasions to obtain my signature in contravention of party rules," Ms Young stated in an affidavit seen by Fairfax Media.
"I do not believe that I would have met the meeting requirements to vote if Ms Neal had not visited my home and obtained by signature on the branch book multiple times."
The revelation emerged while Ms Neal was preparing to seek preselection in the seat of Gosford following the retirement of Labor MP Kathy Smith due to ill health.
Paralympian Liesl Tesch won preselection and went on to win the seat in a byelection in April.
Most recently, Ms Neal has been seeking preselection for the newly amalgamated Central Coast Council.
While a ballot was held on the weekend, counting has been delayed due to challenges to some preselectors' eligibility.
Ms Neal, who did not attend a hearing of the internal appeals tribunal to consider her charges on Saturday due to illness, told Fairfax Media that she was in hospital and was not aware of the expulsion recommendation.
"The IAT proceeded with a hearing in my absence when I had a medical certificate so with only one side of story being told what would you expect?" she said.
However, Labor sources countered that Ms Neal was well enough to attend the council preselection ballot on Sunday.
Ms Neal has 14 days to appeal the decision to the NSW Labor Review Tribunal.
Ms Neal is best known for being embroiled in the "Iguanagate" scandal when, as the member for Robertson in 2008, she allegedly declared, "Don't you know who I am?" during an altercation with staff at a Central Coast bar. She denies the claim.