A health educator and an Aboriginal community worker are vying to spring another by-election upset in a Liberal stronghold.
Labor will have a crack at winning another seat from the Liberals when voters head to the polls in the federal seat of Fadden on the Gold Coast on July 15.
The by-election was triggered by the resignation of former Liberal minister Stuart Robert, who has been mired in controversy.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese launched the campaign for Labor’s pick Letitia Del Fabbro on Tuesday night.
He described the nurse and health educator as a strong candidate but acknowledged winning the seat would be tough, particularly in a by-election held under the glare of a national spotlight.
The LNP holds Fadden by a margin of 10.6 per cent and has chosen Gold Coast councillor Cameron Caldwell as its candidate.
“Letitia has never been afraid of hard work,” Mr Albanese said.
“She doesn’t back down from tough challenges.
“She wants her community to have a genuine choice at this by-election, and she wants her community to be represented by someone with integrity.”
Mr Albanese made it clear Labor would spend the campaign reminding voters about Mr Robert’s actions in parliament.
“Stuart Robert is resigning from parliament having presided over one of the most shocking and cruel failures in the history of Australian politics – robodebt,” he said.
“That’s the sort of person (Opposition Leader) Peter Dutton thought was good enough for his shadow ministry and that’s the sort of candidate the LNP thought was good enough for your community.”
Mr Dutton said by-elections were always “tight contests” and the Labor Party would have “all sorts of dirty tactics and smear campaigns” in its arsenal.
“We’ve got a great candidate with a good story to tell,” he told reporters.
“I’m confident we can hold the seat but by-elections are always difficult.”
The Liberal Party lost the Victorian seat of Aston, previously held by Alan Tudge, to Labor in a shock defeat at an April by-election.
Indigenous-Aboriginal Party of Australia candidate Marnie Laree Davis is one of 13 candidates making a tilt for Fadden.
An Aboriginal community worker with a background in social health and domestic violence services, Ms Davis said she wanted to work with locals to deliver tangible outcomes.
Ms Davis said tackling the housing crisis, using preventative support measures to reduce crime, and accountability were high on her agenda.
“I am a proud Aboriginal woman and decided to stand up and try have my voice heard for families and community,” she told AAP.
Ms Davis said while the Indigenous voice to parliament proposal wasn’t ideal, it was a “good stepping stone” to brokering a treaty with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
The Greens, Pauline Hanson’s One Nation and the Australian Democrats are also putting up candidates.
Mr Robert served as the veterans’ affairs, national disability insurance scheme and government services minister under the Turnbull and Morrison governments.
