’Error’ behind Labor star candidate Kristina Keneally’s staggering loss in ‘safe’ seat of Fowler

She was a “captain’s pick” for a “safe” Labor seat – so how did Kristina Keneally manage to fail so spectacularly this election?

As the buzz from Labor’s historic election win begins to fade, attention is turning to Kristina Keneally’s humiliating loss in a “safe” ALP seat.

In the lead up to the election, Keneally was controversially “parachuted” into the electorate of Fowler in Sydney’s southwest, a seat held by the Labor Party since 1984.

As a “captain’s pick” candidate, Keneally’s success was initially considered to be a sure thing, with many expecting her to serve on the ministerial or shadow frontbench following the election.

But the people of Fowler threw those plans into disarray, with constituents instead electing independent Dai Le after turning their backs on Keneally en masse.

So where did it all go wrong for the Labor star?

Backlash begins

News of Keneally’s candidacy last September sparked immediate backlash, with residents expressing their fury that Keneally – who lives on Scotland Island on Sydney’s Northern Beaches, located more than an hour away – was chosen instead of a local candidate.

In fact, Labor MP Chris Hayes, who had held the seat from 2010, had already named Tu Le – a local lawyer heavily involved in community groups – as his preferred successor.

At the same time, independent candidate Dai Le emerged – a well-known figure in the community, given her role as deputy mayor of Fairfield City Council.

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Labor leader Anthony Albanese with Tu Le, who had been endorsed by outgoing Fowler MP Chris Hayes. Picture: Facebook

‘She was imposed on us’

Speaking to The Daily Telegraph on the condition of anonymity, a Labor insider has revealed that Keneally’s appointment had caused problems from the start, with volunteers refusing to support her campaign and locals declining Labor’s how-to-vote cards.

“It was the wrong decision to parachute someone in with no connection to the local community,” the source told the publication, claiming that decision cost Labor the seat.

“She was imposed on us.”

It was a sentiment echoed by Dai Le herself, with the independent victor telling the ABC in a recent interview that Labor’s arrogance had cost the party the seat.

“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.

“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.”

Independent @dai_le on defeating @KKeneally in the historically Labor seat of Fowler. pic.twitter.com/gsMzLK5GS8

— News Breakfast (@BreakfastNews) May 22, 2022

Labor ‘learned the hard way’

Ousted would-be candidate Tu Le has also weighed in to the debacle, telling The Guardian her party had “learned the hard way” after ignoring the opinions of locals.

“There’s obviously a lot of lessons to be learned here and I think all parties need to think twice about these decisions they make,” she told the publication.

Kristina Keneally was parachuted in. Picture: Liam Kidston

“Overall I think it was a fantastic result for the ALP and it’s unfortunate what has occurred in Fowler. But if this is what it takes for us to actually listen to local community voices then I think sometimes it is a lesson that has to be learned the hard way.”

ALP’s ‘massive ‘error’

Meanwhile, in an opinion piece published by Nine newspapers, author and inclusive leadership strategist Cat-Thao Nguyen has shared her thoughts on why the people of Fowler so decisively rejected Keneally.

Firstly, Ms Nguyen described the ALP and Keneally’s claims that her candidacy had the backing of the Vietnamese Community in Australia organisation (VCA) – an influential community group in the area, which is heavily populated by Vietnamese migrants – as a “mistake”, given the VCA “no longer represents all Vietnamese in Fowler”.

And secondly, Ms Nguyen took issue with Paul Keating’s description of Keneally as having “executive talent”.

“Another error, prolific in corporate Australia, is their biased view of leadership qualities,” she explained.

Independent Dai Le has defeated Kristina Keneally in the seat of Fowler. Picture: Jonathan Ng

“This notion evokes a certain archetype of Anglo-centric leadership, a type of leadership that keeps racial diversity at the bottom and white people at the top.”

The issue of race featured heavily in the piece, with Ms Nguyen pointing out the disparity between how Fowler residents and those from affluent beachside suburbs were treated during the pandemic, as well as Dai Le’s extensive track record in campaigning for her community.

“It takes someone with lived experience, wisdom and empathy to necessarily honour the refugee past of the Vietnamese community and the deep heartache we still carry, while also navigating its evolving future within Australia and our region,” she wrote.

“The residents of Fowler may simply be voters to some. For Dai Le, Tu Le, and me, these people are our family. That is why Labor lost Fowler.”