The Labor Party has completed its preselection for the federal seats of Lalor and Hotham, with Joanne Ryan and Geoff Lake chosen as candidates in the much-watched contest.
Ms Ryan, a Melbourne school principal, was widely-expected to win preselection for Lalor, after receiving 97 per cent of votes in a local ballot and being endorsed by Julia Gillard, who had previously held the seat.
However, she had to wait until Tuesday night to be given the nod by the Labor's Public Office Selection Committee (POSC).
It was a slightly closer contest in Hotham, with local councillor Geoff Lake selected by the POSC after polling around 60 per cent of votes in the local ballot.
His closest competitor, Rosemary Barker, had received 40 per cent of local votes and party heavyweights were split over who should be given the final nod by the committee.
Former Labor leader Simon Crean - who previously held Hotham - had earlier congratulated Mr Lake on his local ballot win.
"I expect POSC to endorse local decision," Mr Crean Tweeted.
However, federal Melbourne Ports member Michael Danby had predicted that Ms Barker would win final preselection for the seat.
He said many would be voting for her because she is a "positive, unifying figure in our party" who has drawn support from the left and Labor Unity factions.
"In the ALP in Victoria we balance the local membership vote with a central group of people from across the whole party, who have the broader interest of the whole party in mind when selecting candidates," Mr Danby said.
Mr Lake said that with a Federal election expected in the near-term, he wanted to `hit the ground running' as soon as possible.
"I will be doing my best to assemble a campaign team as of tomorrow," he told AAP.
"I want to make sure that the strong work done by Simon Crean over the past 23 years doesn't go to waste."
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