Election 2025: I didn’t pull the cord to parachute in Kristina Keneally, Anthony Albanese insists

Anthony Albanese says he did not support Kristina Keneally running as Labor’s candidate for Fowler at the last election.

Anthony Albanese and Kristina Keneally during the 2022 campaign. Picture: Getty Images

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Anthony Albanese says he did not support Kristina Keneally running as Labor’s candidate for Fowler at the last election, moving to distance himself from the former NSW premier in the hope of winning back the western Sydney seat.

The Prime Minister said it was a mistake for the Labor machine to cancel the preselection process in Fowler and pick Ms Keneally to run, despite being part of the ­national executive that rubber-stamped the move. The decision to install Ms Keneally as Fowler’s candidate in 2022 came at the expense of this year’s candidate, Tu Le, who was endorsed by the electorate’s outgoing MP Chris Hayes.

Picking Ms Keneally backfired for Labor, with the seat won by ­independent Dai Le.

“That was an error. I thought it was an error at the time,” Mr Albanese said while campaigning in western Sydney on Friday. “It wasn’t my decision. I have supported … very strongly Tu Le to run for Fowler. She’s a gun candidate. She is a future cabinet ­minister.”

Mr Albanese was a strong supporter of Ms Keneally when she was in federal parliament, installing her as deputy Senate leader after the 2019 election despite the numbers being in favour of Right faction heavyweight Don Farrell. Mr Albanese was backing Ms ­Keneally to remain in the Senate after the 2022 election but key ­unions were refusing to back her to take a winnable spot on the NSW ballot from the shoppies-aligned Deborah O’Neill.

In an effort to break the stalemate, NSW Right figures – including cabinet minister Chris Bowen – backed a deal to keep Senator O’Neill in the upper house while making Ms Keneally the candidate for Fowler.

The deal infuriated some leading NSW Right figures, including Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke.

Mr Albanese took his campaign to western Sydney for the first time on Friday, visiting a primary school in Campbelltown with Education Minister Jason Clare and Ms Le.

He also attended The Daily Telegraph’s Future Western Sydney event in Blacktown, where he talked up an election commitment to extend the $20,000 instant asset write-off for an extra year. Labor on Friday also committed more than $200m to upgrade roads in western Sydney and $120m for a maternity ward in Rouse Hill.

Ms was controversially parachuted into the seat of Fowler, which she lost to independent Dai Le. Picture: David Swift

While Labor is trying to win back Fowler, it is defending a swag of Sydney seats from the Liberals, including Werriwa, Parramatta, Bennelong and Reid

There are also pro-Palestinian independents challenging Mr Clare in Blaxland and Mr Burke in Watson.

Despite the polls heading in his favour during the first week of the campaign, Mr Albanese said he was taking nothing for granted.

“I’m not getting ahead of myself, elections are hard to win and there are four weeks left in this campaign,” he said.

After suggesting in the Hunter Valley on Thursday that nuclear generation was a safety risk, he refused to say this when questioned on Friday.

Instead, he said the biggest risk of nuclear was that it would lead to higher electricity prices.