Federal election 2022: Parramatta elects Labor candidate Andrew Charlton

While southwest Sydney’s Fowler voters punished Labor for parachuting in Kristina Keneally, the party did not suffer the same consequences in Parramatta. Read why.

Former Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s fractured relationship with China has cost the Liberal Party a win in the key battleground of Parramatta, despite the Labor candidate being parachuted in from the eastern suburbs, a Liberal official has said.

The party member, who only spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the Chinese community punished the Liberals at polling booths at Carlingford and North Rocks, which are traditional blue pockets with strong Asian populations.

“His stance against the Chinese government with trade, his partnership with the UK and the US, and all the anti-Chinese rhetoric, contributed to Chinese voters leaving the Liberal Party in droves,’’ the Liberal said.

“What’s the cost of a Labor win when they now have to do deals to appease the independents and Teals?’’

The Liberal also cited the same reason for the Liberals’ defeat in Reid where Asian-Australian Sally Sitou leads Fiona Martin 55.49 to 44.51 and the result is leaning towards Labor in Bennelong, where former Ryde Mayor Jerome Laxale is narrowly leading Liberal Simon Kennedy 51.03 to 48.97.

Both seats are home to significant Chinese communities.

In Parramatta, Mr Charlton copped a barrage of criticism for being parachuted in from Bellevue Hill where he is still living with his wife and three children while they shift into the North Parramatta house he bought.

This was despite pipping grassroots candidates such as Durga Owen, who was thought to be a promising choice given she was local and represented the diverse electorate, for preselection.

Parramatta, which was up for grabs in October when Labor’s Julie Owens announced her retirement, was forecast to be a knife-edge battle on polling day.

Labor’s Andrew Charlton addresses the crowd at the Collector Hotel at Parramatta on Saturday. Picture: Damian Shaw

Maria Kovacic, the co-founder of Western Sydney Women business advocacy group and a Franchise Council of Australia director, made multiple funding announcements during her campaign as the Liberal contender.

Once counting kicked off, the West Pennant Hills resident led briefly, but the party at Rydalmere Lions FC became subdued as Mr Charlton raced ahead with a convincing lead.

On Sunday, he leads 54 to 45 after amassing 32,203 votes compared with Ms Kovacic’s 26,755.

Despite Mr Charlton not having any connections to Parramatta before his preselection, voters did not care.

But in the Cabramatta seat of Fowler, where former NSW Premier Kristina Keneally was chosen to run for the party over local Vietnamese-Australian lawyer Tu Le, parachuting in a candidate was disastrous.

Labor has lost the ultra safe Labor seat to independent Dai Le, who has secured a 52.36 to 47.64 win over Ms Keneally.

Western Sydney Leadership Dialogue executive director Adam Leto said that was because Fowler’s candidate was well-entrenched in the community for years.

“Dai Le’s extremely popular locally, she’s the current (Fairfield) Deputy Mayor, she has run previously for state elections, has a presence and identity in the area so I think that certainly helped,’’ he said.

“I always thought she was going to give Kristina a good fight and she’s done that.’’

Mr Leto endorsed Mr Charlton, who on Saturday night said it was an honour to claim Parramatta.

“With Andrew, I think you don’t really need to have deep roots into an area to understand it and listen and be prepared to stand up for them,’’ Mr Leto said.

Dai Le is a long time local of the Fowler electorate. Picture: Jeremy Piper

“I think he was able to win and secure the confidence and trust of a community despite the controversy and despite the commentary surrounding his preselection.

“Andrew’s a super smart guy. I think he brings a knowledge and experience that others don’t.’’

Despite Ms Kovacic having a stronger local connection than Mr Charlton, she was not in the same position as Dai Le, Mr Leto said.

He believes Mr Charlton will perform differently to Ms Owens, who has served Parramatta since 2004.

“Julie’s a mainstay and probably again, similar to Dai Le, is fairly entrenched in local communities, understands the people and has built an identity around them and Andrew won’t be able to replicate that,’’ he said.

“I think some of that criticism with Julie is fair in some regards — she was very active on the community front, and you can’t fault her on that, but I think she could have been a little more vocal in pushing for Parramatta’s needs at an infrastructure level.

“From what I’ve heard and seen of Andrew, I think he will be different. I think he’s able to grasp the issues and have the influence within the party to be able to advocate on behalf of the region — not just Parramatta but western Sydney.’’

He said Labor also resonated well with voters’ concerns about the cost of living and childcare.

Mr Charlton spent Sunday morning catching up with members of the public at Parramatta.

“I can’t speak to the result but I just felt that people in Parramatta could have responded to what we put out, which was a vision for the future of Parramatta and the experience and energy and hard work to deliver it,’’ he said.

“And at the end of the day that’s what helped us get over the line.’’

He said his 16-page plan outlined job creation, supporting small businesses, education, creating social and economic infrastructure, and families and communities.

Western Sydney Leadership Dialogue chairman Christopher Brown said Labor’s win would now put the region at the epicentre of national policy.

“The cost of living, housing affordability, the environment and access to quality health care were important issues for voters in western Sydney, and will prove critical issues for our communities and the incoming Labor Government representatives,” Mr Brown said.

He said Prime Minister-elect Anthony Albanese cabinet would bolster western Sydney’s representation, with Fairfield’s Chris Bowen, Blacktown’s Michelle Rowland and Mt Druitt’s Ed Husic to join Tony Burke and Jason Clare from the southwest that “will place the region at the centre of national policy”.

Andrew Charlton will replace retiring Parramatta MP Julie Owens. Picture: Gaye Gerard

“Greater western Sydney is one of the fastest growing population and employment regions and the nation’s third largest economy — it’s where health, education, aviation and tech innovation will be centred in the decades to come,’’ he said.

The dialogue plans to meet federal ministers to reaffirm projects including Labor’s package of targeted infrastructure projects including the $50 million commitment to the Castlereagh Connection that will provide life saving flood evacuation access, and its financial commitment to the NSW Fast Rail network, which includes an interchange at Parramatta and Campbelltown.

“It’s vital that we don’t take our foot off the accelerator and continue to drive investment, deliver vital infrastructure and connect our diverse community,’’ he said.

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