Fowler parachute candidate Kristina Keneally back in Scotland Island

Labor’s parachute candidate Kristina Keneally has been spotted on her old Northern Beaches home of Scotland Island, just three days after her defeat at the hands of an independent.

James Morrow

@pwafork

less than 2 min read

May 25, 2022 - 9:15AM

Federal Election

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And … she’s back.

Former NSW premier and parachute candidate Kristina Keneally has been spotted on her old home of Scotland Island, just three days after her defeat at the hands of independent Dai Le in Fowler at an election that otherwise saw Labor ride a red wave to power in Canberra.

According to reports on Nine News, Ms Keneally was sighted back at her old home on the Hawkesbury, nearly 70km and a world away from the streets of Liverpool where she made her home during the election.

The former senator was filmed at Pittwater’s Scotland Island on a jetty with her police officer son Daniel Keneally.

Wearing a baseball cap and a hoodie, Ms Keneally was shielded from the camera by her son.

Nine cameras captured footage of Kristina Keneally back on Scotland Island. Picture: 9News

The former Labor candidate wore a hoodie and cap, shielding her from view. Picture: 9News

She didn’t answer if her presence back in Scotland Island was proof she was a “parachute candidate”.

During the campaign Ms Keneally said she would remain in Fowler even if she lost the seat in the election.

#EXCLUSIVE: Kristina Keneally was parachuted into the supposedly safe seat of Fowler by Labor, but tonight we found her back on the Northern Beaches after her defeat. @DamoNews #9News pic.twitter.com/o99fYjbMOl
— 9News Sydney (@9NewsSyd) May 24, 2022

Ms Keneally’s candidacy attracted criticism from the very start, when she was hand-selected by Labor bigwigs to contest the seat despite an attractive local candidate already existing in local lawyer Tu Le.

One source previously told this newspaper: “It was the wrong decision to parachute someone in with no connection to the local community.”

Keneally lost her supposedly safe Labor seat to independent Dai Le. Picture: Liam Kidston

“She was imposed on us.”

Labor’s actions played a big role in inspiring another local, Dai Le, to take a tilt at the seat as an independent via a grassroots campaign.

“A lot of Labor voters were so angry with the fact that the Labor Party was arrogant enough to think that they can parachute somebody from the Northern Beaches … to represent us,” Le said.

During the campaign, Ms Keneally worked hard to cultivate the image of a local resident, however many both inside and outside the electorate were unconvinced.

Labor powerbroker Graham Richardson remarked on election night that Ms Keneally was “like an alien walking around the Fairfield shops in a $2000 dress”.