Prominent union boss Ged Kearney has been formally announced as Labor's star candidate for an upcoming by-election in the Melbourne seat of Batman.
The ACTU president will have a tough fight on her hands against the Australian Greens, who are confident of snatching the once-safe Labor seat following the resignation of MP David Feeney.
"I am pleased to introduce to you the woman I think will be the next member for Batman and Labor's candidate in the up coming by-election," Opposition Leader Bill Shorten told reporters in Melbourne on Friday.
Ms Kearney said her decision to stand for the seat was driven by a desire to continue fighting for everyday people across the country and in her own neighbourhood.
"These are the people, the people of this community, I would love to represent and continue that good fight I have been fighting for," she said.
"I want the people to know I will immerse myself if elected as their representative. I will represent their values and their voice within Canberra and the Labor party."
Mr Feeney resigned from parliament on Thursday after failing to find evidence he had renounced his British citizenship, making him ineligible to sit in the lower house.
Greens leader Richard Di Natale thinks his party is in with a real chance to pick up the marginal seat in Melbourne's inner north, which would give it two spots in the House of Representatives.
The Greens will campaign on issues such as climate change, the Adani coal mine in Queensland, rising inequality and a more humane approach to immigration issues.
Interestingly, Ms Kearney, who was surrounded by activists waving "Stop Adani" placards, said she couldn't see the Adani mine going ahead as the Indian company wasn't a good employer.
Greens candidate for Batman Alex Bhathal has run in each election for the seat since 2001, barring 2007.
She won the primary vote at the last federal election but Mr Feeney clung on after preferences, taking Batman with a margin of one per cent.
The Liberals are yet to say if the party intends to run a candidate and cabinet minister Mathias Cormann refused to buy into the issue.
A Liberal candidate would be a major boost for Labor which recently lost a state by-election to the Greens in Northcote, which makes up part of Batman.
Senator Di Natale said while Ms Kearney was a good person, she would advocate "bad policies".
Who is Ged Kearney?
- Ged (Geraldine) Kearney has been formally announced as Bill Shorten's star candidate for the Batman by-election.
- She has been President of The Australian Council of Trade Unions since 2010.
- As president, Ms Kearney has spoken out in favour of a Royal Commission into the banks and wants avenues for the public to tell their stories of bank misdeeds. She's also campaigned against penalty rate cuts and argued for the provision of paid family violence leave.
- She became a registered nurse in 1985 and has worked in numerous roles across the public and private sectors.
- She lives in Melbourne and grew up in the city's inner suburb of Richmond.
- She's the mother of four children.
- And Director of CBUS Super Fund.
- Ms Kearney describes herself as a "tragic" fan of the Richmond Tigers.
