Labor leadership contenders: All you need to know about Anthony Albanese and Chris Bowen

High-profile Labor MPs Anthony Albanese and Chris Bowen are going head-to-head for the Labor leadership. This is what you don’t know about them and who can heal the party.

Labor is doing some soul searching following their spectacular federal election loss, and part of that process is selecting a new leader now that Bill Shorten has stepped down.

While many eager MPs might put their hand up for the party’s top job, two high-profile candidates have revealed their leadership ambitions.

Both are eager to rebuild the party and put it on track to win the hearts of voters when they return to the ballot box in 2022.

This is what you need to know about Labor leftwinger and Shadow Infrastructure Minister Anthony Albanese, and ALP rightwinger and Shadow Treasurer Chris Bowen:

The 26 fresh new faces going into Parliament

Morrison urged to borrow Labor’s health plans

PM clinches majority government, Albo says he can 'beat' him

ANTHONY ALBANESE

Labor MP Anthony Albanese hopes to win the party’s leadership position. Picture: Jonathan Ng

Age: 56

Star sign: Pisces

Electorate: Division of Grayndler, NSW, elected in 1996

Faction: Labor Left, joined the party when he was 15

Where he grew up: Camperdown, NSW

Marital status: Separated from his wife, former NSW deputy premier Carmel Tebbutt in January.

Anthony Albanese and Carmel Tebbutt at the mid-winter ball at Parliament House in Canberra last year. Picture Gary Ramage

Children: Nathan, 18

Salary: $248,800 a year

First job: City paper run. Prior to entering parliament, he also worked for the Commonwealth Bank, as a party official, and as a senior policy adviser to former NSW premier Bob Carr.

Qualifications: Bachelor of Economics (University of Sydney)

A young Anthony Albanese (L), leads students in a protest atop the University of Sydney clock tower in an undated photo. Picture: Supplied

Hobbies: Mr Albanese cites his faiths as the Catholic Church, the South Sydney Football Club, and the Labor Party. He also likes a hit of tennis and enjoys DJing.

Federal ALP member Anthony Albanese wows the crowd at The Corner Hotel in Melbourne in 2016. Albanese was DJ as part of a fundraiser for Reclink Australia. Picture: Ian Currie

Anthony Albanese plays Fast 4 Tennis during the 2015 Australian Open at Melbourne Park. Picture: Getty

Anthony Albanese running with the footy in the Parlimentary NRL State of Origin touch football match at Parliament House in Canberra. Picture: Kym Smith

Roles in parliament: Shadow Minister for Ageing and Seniors, Shadow Minister for Employment Services and Training, Deputy Manager of Opposition Business in the House, Shadow Minister for Environment and Heritage, Shadow Minister for Water, Manager of Opposition Business in the House, Shadow Minister for Water and Infrastructure, Leader of the House, Deputy Leader of the Opposition, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, Shadow Minister for Tourism, Shadow Minister for Cities, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Cities and Regional Development

Former Shadow Minister for Tourism, Anthony Albanese, visits Darwin's Crocosaurus Cove and checks out a little saltwater crocodile.

Known for: Monash University politics expert Dr Nick Economou said Mr Albanese’s greatest moment was winning the membership ballot against Bill Shorten when they both contested the leadership position following Labor’s loss at the 2013 federal election.

This meant Mr Albanese had the backing of the ALP’s members, but ultimately lost out at the caucus vote, which backed Mr Shorten.

“It’s had Albanese sitting there as the leader in waiting, looming in the background while Mr Shorten was leader all this time,” Dr Economou said.

“He also appeared to really enjoy his time as Infrastructure Minister while Labor was in government.”

CHRIS BOWEN

Shadow Treasurer Chris Bowen said he will also contest the Labor leadership ballot. Picture: AAP

Age: 46

Star sign: Capricorn

Electorate: Division of McMahon, NSW, elected in 2004

Faction: Labor Right, joined the party when he was 15

Where he grew up: Smithfield, NSW

Marital status: Married to Rebecca Mifsud

Children: Grace, 14 and Max, 11

Salary: $248,800 a year

First job: Unknown - but prior to entering parliament he served as a councillor on Fairfield Council and at one point served as mayor

Chris Bowen as the Mayor of Fairfield. Picture: Chris Bowen/Facebook

Qualifications: Bachelor of Economics (University of Sydney), Masters Degree in International Relations and a Diploma of Modern Languages (Bahasa Indonesia)

Chris Bowen is also a long-time Labor member. Source: Instagram

Hobbies: He enjoys keeping fit, reading and watching AFL.

Roles in parliament: Assistant Treasurer, Minister for Competition Policy and Consumer Affairs, Minister for Financial Services, Superannuation and Corporate Law, Minister for Human Services, Cabinet Minister, Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills, Science and Research, Minister for Small Business, Shadow Treasurer

Chris Bowen as a young member of the House of Reps Economics Committee at a hearing in 2004. Picture: Chris Bowen/Facebook

Known for: Monash University politics expert Dr Nick Economou said unfortunately for Chris Bowen, his defining moment in parliament was his contribution to Labor’s failure at this year’s federal election.

“His greatest moment in federal politics is one he’d rather forget - being the Shadow Treasurer in a Labor opposition that managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory,” Dr Economou said.

“And he as Shadow Treasurer made a major contribution to Labor’s amazing failure.”

Mr Albanese is a member of Labor’s left faction, while Mr Bowen is a Labor rightwinger. Picture: Matthew Sullivan

WHO CAN LEAD HEAL LABOR AND PUT IT ON THE PATH TO VICTORY?

Ignoring other potential leadership contenders, Dr Economou said the party would be on the right track selecting either Mr Bowen or Mr Albanese.

He said a NSW-based Labor leader would look better in the eyes of Queenslanders, who turned on the party at the ballot box and were a major factor in its spectacular loss.

“No Melburnian should be involved in the reconstruction if Queenslanders are involved,” Dr Economou said.

“If you have Melbourne factored into it, you are going to have bubble politics - a very small group of people from inner-Melbourne who talk to each other and construct an orthodoxy that they think can’t be challenged. And clearly they are out of touch with the vast majority of Australians.”

Anthony Albanese visits Simonds Stadium where he once kicked a Sherrin with Geelong Captain Joel Selwood. Picture: Mike Dugdale

“Sydney and NSW have always had a closer affinity with Queensland and Brisbane.”

But ultimately, he believed Mr Albanese would but Labor at a competitive advantage in the lead-up to, and at the 2022 federal election.”

“I think Albanese has managed to avoid most of the opprobrium associated with the failed campaign,” Dr Economou said, adding that the leadership hopeful came across like an “everyday bloke” who could take on Scott Morrison’s appealing “daggy dad image”.

“[Albanese] is the last of the Labor men who strike me as being manful... clearly Labor’s obsession with feminism has not been rewarded at the ballot box,” he said.

He added identity politics should be left to the Greens, and Labor needed to get back to talking about things that matter.

Chris Bowen with Gough Whitlam. Picture: Chris Bowen/Facebook

“Unfortunately for Chris Bowen, his reputation has been tarnished by Labor’s unpopular federal election policies, such as its proposed changes to franking credits and negative gearing,” he said.

“Not only will that remain in the minds of the public, but more importantly, it’ll be in the minds of their political opponents, and the Coalition would be delighted with Chris Bowen as Labor leader because he would be an easy target.”

Originally published as Labor leadership contenders: All you need to know about Anthony Albanese and Chris Bowen