NSW Labor powerbroker backs Kristina Keneally switch amid backlash

NSW Labor powerbroker Bob Nanva has urged the state’s Right faction to back former NSW premier Kristina Keneally’s attempt to seek a seat in the House of Representatives at the next federal election despite a backlash from the local branch.

In an email to the NSW Centre Unity members on Thursday evening, the NSW Labor general secretary said Senator Keneally would make sure that the western Sydney seat of Fowler was “represented at the highest levels of an Albanese Labor government”.

NSW Labor general secretary Bob Nanva (inset) has backed Kristina Keneally’s bid to seek a seat in the House of Representatives at the next federal election.Credit:Alex Ellinghausen, James Brickwood

Senator Keneally will replace the retiring MP Chris Hayes, who is leaving Federal Parliament after 14 years. Mr Hayes had hoped to nominate a local member of the community, lawyer Tu Le, as his successor. Sources say he and some of his colleagues are furious about Senator Keneally’s move.

The seat, which takes in Liverpool, Cabramatta and Fairfield, is one of the most diverse in the nation and the Opposition holds it by a 14 per cent margin.

Ms Lu told the ABC on Thursday evening that Senator Keneally’s pending move was “pretty disappointing and disheartening”.

“Not just for myself but for the local community to be taken for granted in this way,” Ms Le said.

Supporters of Senator Keneally say she was approached by community members to contest the seat and any move would be of her own choosing and not driven by a factional fight for the number one spot of the Senate ticket.

Despite her seniority in Canberra, Labor’s home affairs spokeswoman has struggled to gain enough support to secure the number one position on the party’s NSW Senate ticket ahead of Senator O’Neill, who is supported by the influential Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees’ Association union.

The second place on the ticket is reserved for the Left faction, with incumbent Jenny McAllister likely to be re-endorsed, and the third position is widely viewed as unwinnable.

Alerted members to a meeting on Friday to discuss the preselection, Mr Nanva said Mr Hayes would leave “very big shoes to fill” and the party had a duty to ensure the next candidate for Fowler was “as strong and well-regarded as he is”.

“In recent months I have discussed this matter with people from across our movement and, importantly, the local Fowler community. They have expressed a strong desire that the next Labor candidate for Fowler is someone with the experience and record of leadership required to ensure their communities are never left behind,” he wrote.

Labor MP Chris Hayes announcing his retirement from politics in the Labor Party Room at Parliament House in March.Credit:Domonic Lorrimer

“That is why the officers will recommend that our group supports Kristina Keneally as the next Labor candidate for Fowler.

“As a member of the federal leadership team, Kristina will make sure that Fowler is represented at the highest levels of an Albanese Labor government. It will also mean one of the most formidable Parliamentary performers joins Labor’s House of Representatives team.

Senator Keneally is expected to announce as soon as Friday that she intends to make the switch. However, her office said that the preselection was a matter for the party.

Mr Hayes’s brother, Gerard, the national president of the influential Health Services Union, is also scathing of the development.

“It’s a bit like Hong Kong,” he told the ABC. “People can vote, but Labor is telling them who they can vote for â€" irrespective of the candidate.

“Why are we losing our base? Because we do stuff like this.”

Senator Keneally, who lives on Scotland Island on Pittwater in northern Sydney, has given colleagues an undertaking she would move to the electorate if her preselection was successful.

Labor leader Anthony Albanese said on Thursday, while issues surrounding the preselection were a matter for the NSW branch, Senator Keneally was “a fantastic and valued member of my team”.

“I think she makes an enormous contribution as both a Senator and as a frontbencher. And I look forward to Kristina continuing to make a contribution well into the future,” he told reporters.

“She is a strong supporter of mine and I’ve always had a very good relationship with Kristina. She’s a valued member of the team. What the team is focused on is removing this government.”

Rob Harris is the national affairs editor for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, based at Parliament House in CanberraConnect via email.

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