Bennelong: Labor scouted ex-deputy premier John Watkins

Former NSW deputy premier John Watkins was approached by Labor to run for Bennelong just before Kristina Keneally.

Then deputy premier John Watkins with Kristina Keneally in 2008.

Former NSW deputy premier John Watkins was approached by Labor to run for Bennelong and was considering whether to do so just before Kristina Keneally announced she would fight the December 16 federal by-election.

Mr Watkins — a former enemy of powerbrokers Eddie Obeid and Joe Tripodi, who helped install Ms Keneally as premier in 2009 — was sounded out to run for the seat last weekend, as was Ryde Mayor Jerome Laxale, sources have confirmed.

The Australian understands Labor assistant general secretary Rose Jackson approached Mr Watkins, who has recently served as chief executive of Alzheimer’s Australia, at the weekend and he said he would consider running.

Federal deputy Labor leader Tanya Plibersek is also said to have been keen to contact Mr Watkins to have him run.

Mr Watkins, who has had some health issues and declined to comment yesterday, had not ruled out running until he was contacted by Ms Keneally and informed that she was keen to run, sources said.

It was then that he told Labor officials he would not be interested in contesting the seat.

Labor general secretary Kaila Murnain had effectively come over the top of her assistant secretary to clear the way for the former premier.

Mr Watkins, 61, retired from parliament in 2008, bringing on a reshuffle that led to Morris Iemma resigning as premier when he could not gain the support of caucus for his proposed new cabinet.

Mr Watkins held the seat of Ryde, which is within the federal seat of Bennelong, from 1999 to 2008.

Ms Keneally has spoken about campaigning for Mr Watkins for the seat of Gladesville during the 1995 state election campaign.

On Tuesday as she and Opposition Leader Bill Shorten announced she would run against Liberal John Alexander in Bennelong, she said: “The first Labor campaign I ever worked on was John Watkins’ campaign in Gladesville in 1995. By the way, Labor won that campaign and put Bob Carr into government.”

As the race for the seat heats up, unions and Labor volunteers are expected to flood the seat.

GetUp! is making up its mind on whether to support Ms Keneally or stay neutral because the organisation sees Mr Alexander as a moderate, sources told The Australian.

A survey of GetUp!’s Bennelong members will determine if the organisation helps Ms Keneally in her bid to overturn a 9.5 per cent margin and defeat Mr Alexander in a by-election triggered by the Liberal MP’s discovery that he was a British duel citizenship.

Labor sources said the race had been on at the weekend to find a top-quality candidate.

“There was a mad scramble in the Labor Party to try to find a quality candidate,” one source said. “We needed to get a candidate out before everything got swamped by marriage equality. We need to be on the train stations this weekend because Alexander’s got a huge profile.

“Turnbull had called a snap election so we couldn’t build momentum.”

Mr Laxale was announced in February as the Labor candidate for the state seat of Ryde and will take on Finance Minister Victor Dominello at the March 2019 election.