Bill Shorten's hand-picked candidate for the crucial Batman byelection, high profile union leader Ged Kearney, does not live in the seat she is trying to win.
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In an embarrassing revelation for Labor - which is trying desperately to hold back the Green tide and hang on to what was once ALP heartland - Fairfax Media can reveal Ms Kearney actually lives in the neighbouring seat of Wills.
A search of property records has confirmed that Ms Kearney's Brunswick home places her outside the electorate, meaning she can't even vote for herself at the March 17 poll.
Just a week ago, when Ms Kearney's candidacy was announced, she spoke at length about her connection to the inner-Melbourne seat.
"It is so lucky that I can represent the people of Batman, a seat, that as Bill [Shorten] said, I lived in. My kids, it's hard to believe but my kids played Little Aths on this very oval we are on now," she said.
"My kids went to school in this seat. I have lived here since, I think I was about 15 really."
Ms Kearney is the second consecutive Labor candidate to run in the seat who has not resided in the electorate.
Her predecessor, David Feeney, owned a $2.3 million property in Batman - which he forgot to declare - but actually lived in a million dollar apartment in the seat of Melbourne.
Mr Feeney resigned last week because he was unable to find paperwork that proved he had renounced his British citizenship before being elected in 2007. He was the ninth MP to lose their seat for being in breach of section 44 of the constitution.
In a statement issued Thursday, Ms Kearney said: "I lived in Northcote, Alphington and Thornbury for 35 years - my kids grew up and went to school there, and my family still lives there. I now live about one kilometre outside the electorate and I’ve always been up front about that. This community is in my blood.”
Fairfax Media also conducted a search of the property records of Greens candidate Alex Bhathal and confirmed she lived in the seat of Batman.
Ms Bhathal collected more primary votes than Labor in the 2016 election, however, Liberal Party preferences got Mr Feeney over the line.
Labor insiders insist the party has a good chance of winning the seat, arguing the party's strength in the northern part of the seat, around Preston, could offset Greens strength in the southern part, around Northcote.
In the recent Bennelong byelection, Labor's Kristina Keneally and the Liberals' John Alexander lived outside the electorate.
Comment has been sought from Ms Kearney and Mr Shorten.
