Anthony Albanese says Kristina Keneally’s “migrant” experience is proof of Labor’s diversity

A number of Labor MPs are angry about comments from leader Anthony Albanese touting the “migrant” experience of American-born Kristina Keneally.

Fury has erupted inside the Labor Party after Anthony ­Albanese used his Italian last name, and Kristina Keneally moving from the US, as examples of the party’s migrant success to deflect criticism about diversity.

Several MPs have privately condemned the suggestions by Mr Albanese and former prime minister Paul Keating that Ms Keneally’s migrant status was comparable to the experience of those living in the multicultural Western Sydney seat of Fowler.

Responding to backlash over the decision to parachute Ms Keneally into Fowler and pass over aspiring candidate Tu Le, Mr Albanese referred to himself as proof of Labor’s ­“diverse representation”.

Labor’s Kristina Keneally is engulfed in controversy over her candidacy for Fowler in western Sydnry. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Bianca De Marchi

“At the most senior levels, the Leader of the House of Representatives is someone called Albanese and the Leader in the Senate is someone called Wong,” he said.

Senator Penny Wong mig­rated to Australia from Malaysia when she was eight-years-old and has spoken openly about her experiences with ­racism. But Mr Albanese was born and raised in Sydney.

Mr Albanese also nominated Ms Keneally, who grew up in the US and moved to Australia more than 20 years ago, as a migrant success story.

“Kristina Keneally … is another great Australian success story of a mig­rant who’s come here and became the NSW premier,” he said.

One Labor MP said it was a “joke” to suggest either ­example “held up” as examples of diverse representation in parliament.

Mr Keating has also backed Ms Keneally, arguing she was a superior choice to any “local candidate” because she was ­established enough to “eke out a bigger share” of funding for Western Sydney.

“Local candidates may be genuine and well-meaning but they would take years to scramble to her level of executive ability – if they can ever get there at all,” he said. “And on the diversity point, she’s a migrant herself.”

Ms Le, the daughter of Vietnamese migrants, described the Fowler preselection as a “sour debacle”.

Labor Leader Anthony Albanese says Ms Keneally will be a good candidate because she herself is a migrant. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Bianca De Marchi

“(The community) feel like they don’t have a say in who gets to represent them and who is the person that speaks up for the struggles that they face and we face every day,” she told the ABC.

Diversity Council of Australia CEO Lisa ­Annese said implying Ms Le and Ms Keneally were similar was not correct, adding: “What we know in Australia is when we’re talking about cultural diversity, what we ­actually mean is diverse from Anglo-Celtic identity.”