Liberal MP Fiona Martin denies confusing Labor’s Sally Sitou with another Asian-Australian

Liberal MP Fiona Martin has denied confusing her Labor challenger with another Asian-Australian woman in a fiery election debate on a Sydney radio station. Sally Sitou, the daughter of Chinese parents who fled Laos after the Vietnam war, is Labor’s candidate for the marginal western Sydney seat of Reid, which is currently held by Dr Martin.

The two women were engaged in a fiery exchange in an election debate on 2GB on Wednesday, when Dr Martin claimed Ms Sitou was only running in Reid because she had been “kicked out” of Fowler by Kristina Keneally.

“I didn’t want to raise this, but I chose to live in this electorate because I love the community,” Ms Sitou said. “… because you found an opportunity, and you couldn’t run in Fowler …. Kristina Keneally kicked you out of Fowler, too,” Dr Martin responded. But Labor frontbencher Ms Keneally was parachuted into the seat of Fowler to contest this year’s election over Vietnamese-Australian lawyer Tu Le, who was also running for Labor preselection in the seat.

Ms Sitou responded on radio: “Now she’s just making things up. I mean, that’s how ridiculous this debate has gotten.”

Federal Labor candidate for Reid Sally Sitou speaks to the media on day 17 of the 2022 federal election campaign, in Sydney, in the seat of Reid, Wednesday, 27 April, 2022. Source: AAP / BIANCA DE MARCHI

The exchange came after Dr Martin questioned Ms Sitou on growing up outside the electorate, to which she replied: “I grew up in Cabramatta and I’m really proud of that. My parents worked hard to enable me to have the work and educational opportunities they could not get.” “I grew up in Reid,” Dr Martin said. “I went to school at Five Dock and Strathfield.”

Ms Sitou then pressed Dr Martin about living outside the electorate, prompting the sitting Liberal MP to say she “lives very close by” and has “deep roots in the electorate”.

Later speaking to SBS News, Ms Sitou demanded an apology from Dr Martin, saying she had “spent all morning making up all sorts of claims”. She said she has never sought preselection in Fowler. “I live in Reid, I love this community. My husband and I have chosen to make this area our home and for us to raise our family here. My son goes to the local school,” she said. “We love this community. I understand that in high-pressure situations like this, people make mistakes. All I’m asking Dr Martin to do is just admit to making a mistake and say sorry.” Earlier on Twitter, Ms Sitou said her opponent “either has me confused for a different Asian-Australian, or she is deliberately misleading people. Either way, she should apologise.” But Dr Martin has denied she confused Ms Sitou with someone else. “[I] was referring to media reports that Ms Sitou was in the running for the state seat of Cabramatta in 2018,” she told SBS News. The Sydney Morning Herald reported in June 2018 that Ms Sitou was among “at least 12 people” who were “touted as a possibility” to replace sitting member Nick Lalich, should he decide to retire due to the ill health he was experiencing at the time. Ms Sitou told SBS News she did not stand for preselection in Cabramatta.

“I did not stand to run in Cabramatta. I am standing to run for the community of Reid. I wish that Fiona Martin would spend more time thinking about Reid and what the people here need because that’s what I’m doing,” she said.

Ms Sitou said she is a “proud Chinese-Australian” and that Reid is an “incredibly multicultural seat”.

“What a lovely thing that we can say that someone of my background has decided to put my hand up to run for this seat. I am of the community and I want to represent the community,” she said.