Labor fears ‘another Kristina Keneally’ captain’s pick in Linda Burney’s Sydney seat of Barton

Linda Burney announced her retirement six months ago but a mix of factional fighting and Anthony Albanese’s personal influence has stalled attempts to select a successor in Barton.

Retiring former minister Linda Burney. Picture: Martin Ollman/NewsWire

There are growing and serious fears within the ALP that a dangerous delay in finding a candidate for the southwest Sydney electorate of Barton of retiring former minister, Linda Burney, could cost the party the seat at the election next year.

Labor has only a two-seat ­majority after the new electoral boundaries and any seat loss is a danger to its re-election.

Although Ms Burney announced her retirement at the next election almost six months ago, a complex mix of factional fighting going back to the previous election and Anthony Albanese’s personal influence as Prime Minister has stalled attempts to select a candidate.

Since Ms Burney’s retirement, electorate boundaries of the seat near Sydney airport and the Rockdale council have been changed and now give the Liberal Party a chance of victory.

The loss of Ms Burney’s personal support and the estimated 3 per cent drop in Labor’s margin has put Barton on the “at risk” level for the next election.

Linda Burney and Anthony Albanese. Picture: Nikki Short/NewsWire

Barton is the last Labor-held or targeted marginal electorate in NSW without a sitting MP or preselected candidate who can campaign over the summer break for an election that must be held by May next year.

Part of the problem in Barton is a complex series of deals and ­national interventions in NSW preselections at the last election that forced former NSW premier Kristina Keneally on to the voters of Fowler – which she lost after a swing of 18 per cent – and factional deals in the seats of Hunter and Parramatta.

Local Labor members are critical of the potential for “captain’s pick” or national intervention in Barton and the refusal to allow a local membership vote.

Kristina Keneally. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

There are several right-wing candidates for Barton, including former NSW state MP and Rockdale mayor Shaoquett Mosel­mane, a Lebanese-born Muslim with local support.

Mr Moselmane has been criticised by the Coalition for dining with the Iranian ambassador to Australia, Ahmad Sadeghi, who was condemned by the Albanese government for praising a Hezbollah terror leader killed by Israeli forces.

There are other right-wing candidates from the local area and at least one senior left-wing union candidate for the seat bordering Mr Albanese’s seat of Grayndler.

The national executive has delayed a decision on the pre­selection, increasing an expectation that there will be a federal intervention in the NSW process and the “parachuting in” of a special candidate as there was with Ms Keneally.

Former NSW Labor MP Shaoquett Moselmane. Picture: Justin Lloyd

Mr Albanese “cleared the decks” of legislation in parliament last week in preparation for a summer and Christmas season of election campaigning for a poll that must be called in April at the latest.

The organisational, union and parliamentary wings of the federal ALP are said to be becoming increasingly concerned that internal factional fighting, a focus on winning Greens seats and a delay from the national ALP executive, which includes Mr Albanese, could see the party forfeit the seat of Barton to the Liberals.

In contrast to Barton, Labor is preparing a massive ground campaign in a bid to unseat high-profile Greens MP Max Chandler-Mather from his inner-Brisbane electorate at the federal election.

Emboldened by the Greens’ dismal showing at Queensland’s October state poll, Labor has made a priority of winning back Griffith, lost at the 2022 election, to head off the growing threat of minority government.

Labor holds just five of Queensland seats out of 30 and the Greens hold three.