Premier Steven Miles forced to admit being unaware of new candidate’s past ties to LNP

Premier Steven Miles has been sensationally caught off guard by past ties of a new Labor candidate announced to replace the outgoing Yvette D’Ath.

Premier Steven Miles was blindsided while announcing Labor’s candidate for the key seat of Redcliffe, where he was forced to admit he was unaware the party’s pick was a former member of the Liberal Party.

Former prosecutor Kassandra Hall will be vying for the seat left vacant by outgoing Attorney-General Yvette D’Ath after becoming a member of the Labor Party about a year ago.

The fresh candidate was also forced to reveal she contested the Victorian state election in 2018 for the Voluntary Euthanasia Party, but she insisted she was never a member of this small party.

When asked how it was possible to run as a candidate for a party without being a member, she replied: “I couldn’t tell you — I don’t know.”

“I had an involvement in the Victorian debates around voluntary assisted dying and they had candidates in a state election and some of us were put on the ballot but I was never a member and I did no campaigning.”

Ms Hall also added: “I was literally a name on a piece of paper.”

Premier Steven Miles and Kassandra Hall, the new candidate replacing Attorney-General Yvette D'Ath. Picture: Steve Pohlner

The candidate, whose role in defending Labor’s 6.1 per cent margin will be crucial for the government’s re-election bid, said she moved to the area from Melbourne four years ago and stressed her membership with the Liberal Party was more than 20 years ago.

“Labor values are my values,” Ms Hall insisted.

“I very much believe that Labor values are what is key to good government and whether that’s strong economic policy but strong social policy, I believe the two can come together and I believe only Labor can deliver that.”

The candidate said she had disclosed her previous Liberal Party membership with the Labor Party and Ms D’Ath said Ms Hall “told us her whole history”.

But the Premier was caught off guard by his new candidate’s previous allegiance.

“I wasn’t aware of that but we’ve all made mistakes in our past,” Mr Miles said at the announcement.

“While I’ve never been a member of the Liberal Party, we certainly welcome Kass to our team — that was a long time ago, she’s expressed support for Labor (and) support for Labor’s values.

“You guys often say you want to see politicians who aren’t all just hacks like me who’ve been in the Labor Party for 30 years — you want to see real people, real people come with life experience and with things they’ve done in their past.”