The Herald reported yesterday that incumbent Newcastle federal MP Sharon Grierson had accused a factional opponent of stacking party branches with Filipinos to try to win preselection for the next election.

Ms Grierson's opponent, David March, is married to a Filipina and has circulated a letter in the community that asks people to join the ALP to help him become the next member for Newcastle.

Mr March has denied stacking branches, saying he has simply been recruiting new members for a party that has grown stale.

He has accused some within the branches of racism for querying the bona fides of his recruits.

A Filipina and her Australian husband gave The Herald statutory declarations yesterday in which they alleged Mr March was involved in signing them up as ALP members without their knowledge.

They did not want to be named, saying they were considering taking the matter to the Electoral Commission.

They did not want to make waves in the Filipino community.

One of the couple had been invited by Mr March to attend a meeting last November at the Waratah Rugby Union Club.

The woman said she did not realise it was a Labor Party branch meeting but after some time listening to discussions realised it was some sort of political gathering.

She said she was urged to sign a form that Mr March had completed.

She said she was told this was some kind of attendance record and signed it so as not to cause offence.

The woman said she filled in details about her husband.

She believed the form might have been an application to join the ALP.

The woman's husband said he was angry and surprised when he received acknowledgement of his party membership in the mail.

"I rang the ALP's head office and told them I had never joined but they quoted me my membership number and told me I had paid three years in advance," he said.