Labor has preselected Western Sydney community lawyer Tu Le to run for the seat of Fowler in the next federal election.
Le joined Prime Minister Anthony Albanese this morning at a press conference in Cabramatta to make the announcement. She said she is “absolutely thrilled” to be the Labor candidate for the seat, which is currently held by independent MP Dai Le.
“I grew up in south-west Sydney. I’m a proud westie, and I’m currently raising my young family with my husband Calvin … in the local area,” Tu Le told reporters this morning.
“My parents came to Australia after the Vietnam war. I was fortunate to have been raised in Australia, and benefit from the best possible public education. This has led me to the work that I do today.”
Le is a community lawyer, working with victim-survivors of family, domestic and sexual violence. Her experience working in the space, as well as her lived experience as a daughter of refugees, has helped her “understand deeply the power of equal opportunity and what it takes to overcome disadvantage”.
“I think my personal lived experiences have led me to dedicate my life to advocating for the needs of the community, and I am very excited to be the labor candidate for Fowler,” Le said, “to continue fighting for my community and standing up for our rights and values.”
Tu Le has spent her career helping people doing it tough in Sydney's south-west.
— Anthony Albanese (@AlboMP) October 4, 2024
As the daughter of Vietnamese refugees, Tu now works as a community lawyer, standing up for exploited migrant workers. pic.twitter.com/N5dDgNHL12
Le was in the running to be preselected as the Labor candidate for Fowler in the 2022 federal election, until former NSW Premier Kristina Keneally was controversially parachuted into the electorate as the party’s candidate. Unlike Le, who grew up in the Fowler electorate, Keneally lived on the Sydney’s northern beaches. The preselection sparked backlash at the time.
Labor suffered a 15 per cent swing in Fowler in the 2022 election and lost the seat which had been held by the party since its inception in 1984. Independent candidate Dai Le won the seat and now holds it with a narrow margin of 1.6 per cent.
At this morning’s press conference, Albanese said Tu Le “will be an amazing representative” for the south-west Sydney electorate.
“She’s a great candidate, but she will be even better as a local member who will have a voice in government and be able to get things done,” the Prime Minister said.
“My government is a strong supporter of multiculturalism. I’m very familiar with this community, and Tu Le will be an amazing representative.”