A former state secretary of Labor's Victorian branch has been preselected for the newly-created federal seat of Hawke.
Sam Rae, who ran the party office during the successful 2018 state election campaign, was on Tuesday endorsed by Labor's national executive, 18 votes to 3.
Mr Rae left the role in 2019 and has since been a partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers.
The electorate, named after the late former prime minister Bob Hawke, takes in suburbs through Melbourne's northwest including Bacchus Marsh, Ballan, Melton and Sunbury.
It is expected to be a safe Labor seat.
The party's national executive has been responsible for finalising candidate preselection in Victoria since it took control of the state branch of the party last year.
Premier Daniel Andrews had requested the national executive take over after allegations of branch stacking were raised against former state government minister Adem Somyurek, who denies the claims.
The move means local members and unions haven't been able to vote in the preselection process.
In May, 12 unions launched legal action seeking an injunction on preselection. The court case is still underway, which means the preselection could be overturned if a judge finds in the union's favour.
A group of Labor women had been pushing for the party to choose a female candidate in Hawke.
Deepti Alurkar, a Melton council candidate in 2020, and Maribyrnong councillor Sarah Carter had nominated for the seat, while Victorian government minister Natalie Hutchins had considered running.
Australian Associated Press
