The Labor party’s head office spent weeks shopping for a celebrity candidate in a bid to railroad a local rank and file ballot in the federal seat of Parramatta, before moving to install former Kevin Rudd adviser Andrew Charlton in the seat.
The party has now confirmed its national executive will not hold a local preselection to replace retiring MP Julie Owens in the seat, and will instead hold a rapid-fire four-day nomination process before a candidate is chosen by the national executive.
Coming “at the request of the federal parliamentary Labor leader”, Anthony Albanese, the move has infuriated local branch members who say the decision to parachute a candidate into the marginal seat is another missed opportunity to increase the party’s diversity inside parliament.
At least three candidates from Parramatta – or nearby branches – had intended to run for preselection in the seat. Durga Owen, a former staffer for retiring MP Julie Owens from the party’s soft left faction, had been considered a frontrunner for the seat, but faced competition from former Sydney Morning Herald journalist Alan Mascarenhas.
A third candidate, Abha Devasia, a lawyer from Labor’s hard left who is not from the seat but lives nearby, had also been touted for the job and had union support – but is also now likely to miss out.
The decision to skip over the three candidates – all from diverse backgrounds – and instead install Charlton, who is white, has angered the candidates as well as those in the branch.
“That seat is one of the most diverse in Australia and it’s a reflection of our country,” Devasia said.
“We don’t see that in parliament. We can’t talk about multiculturalism as a festival or as something nice in Harmony Week. It’s about allowing us to be part of the decision making process.”
Owen too said she was “disappointed” that local members “couldn’t choose the next candidate”.
“But Andrew Charlton would also be a fantastic member and I’ll put on my Labor shirt and be out there with him to make sure Labor wins government.”
But while Charlton is now likely to be installed as the party’s candidate when national executive votes next week, Labor figures had spent weeks shopping for candidates in a bid to railroad the preselection.
Guardian Australia understands at least four other people – three men, one woman, all of them white – had all been approached to contest the seat.
Among them were David Borger, a former state MP, and the Sydney barrister Cameron Murphy, who has twice run unsuccessfully for the state seat of East Hills.
The push to avoid a rank and file ballot has infuriated local branch members. Head of the Parramatta federal electoral committee, James Shaw, wrote to Albanese and NSW general secretary, Bob Nanva, demanding a rank and file ballot a number of times but received no reply.
Shaw told Guardian Australia he was “disappointed” with the decision.
“I realise at this stage it’s difficult [to change] but I do think that the principle should apply that party members should have a vote as to who their candidate is,” he said.
“It’s absolutely nothing personal against Andrew [Charlton], but I just think ultimately the party rules are that party members vote and choose who the members are.”
Shaw said that while “anyone is entitled to run”, the decision – which comes just a few months after Labor installed Kristina Keneally into the western Sydney seat of Fowler despite Tu Le, a local lawyer with a Vietnamese background, previously indicating an intention to nominate.
“It does make it difficult to have a diverse caucasus,” Shaw said.
“There are a number of candidates from different backgrounds wanting to run and they’ve been denied that chance now, and that is part of my disappointment.”
It comes after Guardian Australia reported on Wednesday that retiring MP, Julie Owens, had requested a rank and file ballot to fill her spot.
“The branches have really been a major part of serving the electorate of Parramatta and they actually should have a say,” she told Guardian Australia.
“I’ve said before one of the great strengths of our democracy is that our leaders are chosen by people who know them. I firmly believe my branch members are in the best position to decide on who the best person to replace me in Parramatta is.”
