Labor finalises election candidates

The Australian Labor Party has picked candidates in the seats of Grey, Parkes and O'Connor but is still seeking to fill Kennedy and Hotham.

Labor has finalised candidates for three seats but still has two more positions to fill after the existing candidates fell foul of controversy.

Farmer and former Spalding council member, Ben Browne, has been confirmed as the Labor candidate for the South Australian seat of Grey.

The seat is held by the Liberals' Rowan Ramsey by a margin of 11.2 per cent.

A 20-year-old Sydney-based media student, Brendan Byron, has been chosen to contest the rural NSW seat of Parkes, held by the Nationals' Mark Coulton by a margin of 18.9 per cent.

Australian Manufacturers Workers Union official Michael Salt is running for Labor in the WA seat of O'Connor.

Sitting WA Nationals member Tony Crook is retiring from O'Connor at the September 7 election.

The Nationals' candidate is mining geologist William Witham.

The Labor national executive is expected to finalise new candidates for Bob Katter's safe north Queensland seat of Kennedy and the safe Labor seat of Hotham in Melbourne on Monday.

The Hotham candidate Geoff Lake was dumped late on Saturday after reports resurfaced he verbally abused a wheelchair-bound female Monash City councillor 11 years ago.

The Kennedy candidate, Ken Robertson, resigned after describing Opposition Leader Abbott as a bigot who would bring back the White Australia policy.

It's understood former Dandenong mayor Clare O'Neil is being considered to stand in Hotham.


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Source: AAP


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