Good afternoon. Labor has set up the electoral battle for Fowler that could have taken place in 2022, announcing Tu Le as its candidate to take on the popular independent Dai Le.
Tu Le, who works as a community lawyer, was considered the shoo-in for preselection in the western Sydney seat before the former Labor senator Kristina Keneally, who did not live in the electorate, was parachuted in. Many saw the move as a snub towards the area’s large Vietnamese and Chinese population, and the backlash resulted in a 18.5% swing against Labor, with Dai Le becoming the first non-Labor representative in the seat’s history.
Announcing Tu Le’s preselection, Anthony Albanese was keen to push the Labor candidate’s ties to the area. “I’ve met her parents and her family, and they have lived in this community for a long period of time,” he said. “She’s a great candidate, but she will be even better as a local member who will have a voice in government.”
Le, the daughter of Vietnamese refugees, said the people of Fowler “deserve a voice in the Labor government”.
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In pictures
France’s 31-year treasure hunt for a buried owl statue finally ends
Somewhere in France, a small statuette of a bird in flight has emerged from the soil in which it has lain buried for more than three decades. The quest for the golden owl, one of the world’s longest-running treasure hunts, appears finally to be over.
What they said …
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“Perhaps not since the civil war has this great country felt as politically, spiritually and emotionally divided as it does at this moment. It doesn’t have to be this way.” – Bruce Springsteen
In an Instagram video, the Born to Run singer officially threw his support behind Kamala Harris, praising the vice-president’s commitment to “the vision of America I’ve been consistently writing about for 55 years”. In Wisconsin, former Republican representative Liz Cheney campaigned alongside Harris and undecided voters to reject Donald Trump’s “depraved cruelty”.
One big chart
The latest snapshot of the nation’s dental health was released on Friday and it reveals that a growing number of Australians are unhappy with the way their teeth look – and household income has a direct impact.
Before bed read
After freeing a man who spent half a century on death row, will Japan keep using the death penalty?
Police fabricated key evidence that led to Iwao Hakamada being convicted of killing a family of four in the late 1960s. Hamada, who spent the next 45 years on death row, was acquitted last week after decades of campaigning by his 91-year-old sister – but Japan, which has resisted years of international pressure to abolish the practice, says capital punishment still has popular support.
Daily word game
Today’s starter word is: GAG. You have five goes to get the longest word including the starter word. Play Wordiply.
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