State politics: Tu Le in running for Fairfield Labor preselection, sparking local revolt
Less than 12 months after Kristina Keneally’s loss sparked soul searching for Labor in southwest Sydney, an upcoming preselection could reopen the wounds.
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Less than 12 months after Kristina Keneally’s loss sparked soul searching for Labor in southwest Sydney, an upcoming preselection could reopen the wounds.
Following Guy Zangari’s announcment he would not be contesting the 2023 state election, multiple local Labor Party branch members have shared fears with the Fairfield Advance his replacement could be dictated by party officials with the weight of the NSW Health Services Union behind them.
The rumoured replacement is Tu Le, who had been promoted by outgoing Fowler Labor federal MP Chris Hayes to take his seat only to be rejected by the party in favour of Kristina Keneally. Ms Keneally failed to retain the seat for Labor.
Ms Le was recently seen at the NSW State Labor Conference where she appeared as the delegate for Fowler, alongside Mr Hayes.
When asked if she was planning on running for Fairfield or Cabramatta — where MP Nick Lalich may retire — Ms Le said her focus was on her pregnancy as she was due to have a child in the next two weeks.
“There is a chance I will put my hand up,” Ms Le said. “What I’ve learnt from the past 12 months is that nothing is set in stone. I don’t think at this point in time, without preselection being called just yet, that I would be 100 per cent certain about anything.”
Fairfield Advance has been told senior Labor officials have called around Fairfield and Cabramatta inquiring about Ms Le’s popularity.
At the same time, there are rumblings that unless Labor puts the ‘right candidate’ in, Fairfield mayor Frank Carbone and his supporters will put forward a candidate at the state election, just as they took on the federal election where Dai Le was elected as an independent.
As to whether Mr Carbone would run himself is not clear, though at least one long-term Labor member has expressed a willingness to leave the party and run as an independent.
A Mayoral Minute delivered by Mr Carbone on Tuesday also sent a warning shot to NSW Opposition Leader Chris Minns and the NSW Government, saying Fairfield Council was putting them ‘formally on notice’ if funding was not committed for Fairfield Hospital.
“Should the hospital not be considered for major upgrades by either side, we will campaign to ensure the community’s voices are heard loud and clear and hold the politicians to account,” Mr Carbone said.
Ms Le’s candidacy would be a sore point for local Labor members who campaigned for Ms Keneally, especially those in the Cabramatta branch, which passed a motion requesting Ms Le be expelled from the party in June.
The motion read, “We, the Cabramatta Labor Branch condemn Tu Le for undermining the endorsed Candidate Kristina Keneally in the media. We, the Cabramatta Branch requests the NSW Labor Party head office to consider removing Tu Le from the Labor Party”.
On the motion to expel her, Tu Le said she had never before commented on it publicly.
“Over the past 12 months, there have been a lot of local and very personal attacks on me, ramping up after the results in Fowler,” she said.
“Post the election outcome we should have learnt the lesson. There’s no point in pointing fingers, playing the blame game.”
Members of the branch have criticised Tu Le for moving to Fowler in 2020, not being seen in person at branch meetings, and having closer ties to Bankstown where she had lived longer.
Ms Le said she’s lived in Canley Vale for the past three years and recently purchased a home in Mt Pritchard.
As for not attending branch meetings, Ms Le said she was focused on moving houses, and noted the pandemic was in full swing.
“I know local people, maybe driven by self-interest, are keen to make unfounded allegations against me,” Ms Le said.
“I’ve been clear about growing up Belmore, Bankstown, Birrong, Canley Vale. I am a southwest Sydney local.”
One Labor member who felt they were being overlooked for preselection, Basim Shamaon, said he doesn’t know what else he has to do to be taken seriously by the party, after being extremely active in the community since the age of 16, now aged 31.
He said he used his own money to run as an independent in the recent Fairfield council elections, passing on preferences to the Labor candidate.
“I spent my savings,” Mr Shamaon said. “I was working for so many years to save that money.
“I worked so hard to support the Labor party to win the local government election. Instead of working with me, or rewarding me, they are ignoring me.”
He said local members want someone that is local, and lives in the area to represent the electorate, with a fair preselection process where multiple candidates can run, but did not comment on Ms Le personally.
“Enough is enough,” Mr Shamaon said. “We are really pissed off.”
Fairfield Advance reached out to Chris Hayes and NSW Labor for comment, but did not receive a response prior to publishing.
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