As many as 39 candidates look to be putting up their hands for Labor preselection in the ACT as nominations close on Wednesday.
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Of Labor's Assembly team, only Mary Porter's candidacy is unclear. Ms Porter would not speak to The Canberra Times on Tuesday and has not said whether she is standing again.
Labor party members will vote on November 14, 19 and 21 to choose 25 candidates – five in each electorate – to represent the party in the coming election. It is the biggest field in the history of self-government.
The preselection race has given rise to some fierce battles, most controversially in the Woden-Weston seat of Murrumbidgee, where the party's left faction dumped Simon Corbell to bottom position on its ticket, prompting his decision not to stand. The action left a sour taste among some in the party, who accused left union the CFMEU of organising against long-time minister Mr Corbell in favour of newcomers Rebecca Cody and Jo Chivers, both with strong union links. The union's Dean Hall has rejected the accusation, saying Mr Corbell would have been his No. 1 choice, had he stood.
Mr Fluffy campaigner Brianna Heseltine is a high-profile candidate in Woden-Weston, but with the left's support behind Ms Cody and Ms Chivers and four women standing, the party's affirmative action rules only guarantee two of them a spot on the ticket. The fourth is ACT Labor junior vice-president Jennifer Newman (right).
Others in the race are understood to be education advocate Chris Steel, economist Brendan Long and Bernard Philbrick from the right, public servant Mark Kulasingham, a former right winger, now unaligned, and teacher John Sherborne.
Chief Minister Andrew Barr is standing in the central city electorate, where there will be eight or nine candidates for the five spots. Others in the right are Young Labor's Michael Pettersson and Vanessa Attridge.
In the left, Senator Kim Carr's chief of staff Rachel Stephen-Smith and Canberra City Residents Association head Josh Ceramidas are standing, along with Community and Public Sector Union organiser Leah Dwyer.
Public servant Richard Niven is one of possibly two non-aligned candidates.
In Belconnen, only two men look to be standing in a field of six or seven (depending on Ms Porter) so look set to win a spot. One is sitting politician Chris Bourke and the other is believed to be Gordon Ramsay, although Mr Ramsay would not confirm. Both men are unaligned. Among the women standing are sitting member Yvette Berry (left), former John Hargreaves staffer Kim Fischer (unaligned) and In the Taratory blogger Tara Cheyne (right). Sue Ducker (left) is also believed to be standing.
In Gungahlin, as many as eight are standing, including sitting member Meegan Fitzharris (right). Others confirmed are Jayson Hinder (right), Andrew Leigh staffer and party senior vice-president Tom McMahon (unaligned), and Indian community leader Deepak-Raj Gupta. Others believed to be standing are Susanne Orr (left), Richard Fox (right), David Wedgwood (unaligned), and Rohan Goyne (unaligned).
In Tuggeranong, Taimus Werner-Gibbings, is the only non-aligned candidate. Mr Werner-Gibbings, 34, who lives in Tuggeranong with his young family, works for Tasmanian Senator Lisa Singh. The others are sitting members Joy Burch (right) and Mick Gentleman (left), Karl Maftoum (right), Angie Drake (left), and Tracey Pulli (right), although Ms Pulli did not confirm on Tuesday.
Party rules ensure at least two men and two women on the ticket in each seat.
