Senior shadow ministers Wayne Swan and Stephen Smith have deserted Labor leader Simon Crean and thrown their support behind the return of Kim Beazley.
The ballot for the Labor leadership is scheduled for June 16.
The former leader, Kim Beazley, declared his candidacy on June 06.
Swan and Smith say that a “train wreck” is coming if Crean remains leader. They say that the electorate has stopped listening to Crean.
Beazley led the ALP from 1996 until 2001. He won the two-party vote in the 1998 federal election. Despite winning back 18 seats from the Coalition, Beazley fell short of victory.
Crean has been leader since Beazley resigned following his defeat in the 2001 election.
- Listen to Channel 10’s Paul Bongiorno report on the leadership challenge (3m)
