Tu Le says Labor ‘learned the hard way’ after Kristina Keneally loses safe seat

Tu Le, a western Sydney lawyer, was backed by the retiring Labor MP Chris Hayes to succeed him in Fowler, but Kristina Keneally was parachuted into the seat instead. Photograph: Supplied

The would-be candidate who Labor looked over in its disastrous bid to parachute former senator Kristina Keneally into the seat of Fowler says the party has “learned the hard way” that voters want genuine representation, suggesting she would have won the seat.

As Labor looked set to win majority government on Sunday, Fowler, a previously safe seat in Sydney’s south-west, had bucked the national trend by producing a 16% swing against Keneally in favour of local independent Dai Le.