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Mundine squares up to Carmel for political knockout

FORMER world boxing champion Anthony Mundine is set to run for Parliament as an independent at the state election in March reports Alex Mitchell and Frank Walker Sun Herald August 6, 2006.

"The Man" will contest the inner-city seat of Marrickville, which is held by Education Minister Carmel Tebbutt, rated the most popular minister in the Iemma Government.

Mundine's move from the boxing ring to the political stage has been motivated by fury within Redfern's Aboriginal community over the establishment of a cultural and training centre in memory of Pemulwuy, the legendary Aboriginal warrior of the early 19th century.

The community, a stronghold of the Mundine family, is angry that its commercially and culturally researched Pemulwuy Project has been dismissed by the Redfern-Waterloo Authority and replaced by what it believes is an inferior proposal.

Mundine is expected to announce his protest candidacy at a public meeting on Thursday night. The Bishop of Gippsland, John McIntyre, who served as Redfern's priest for years before moving to Victoria, will be there to support him.

Mundine's entry into the Marrickville race will alarm Labor powerbrokers as he poses a real threat to the party's 94-year stranglehold on the seat; not because he would be expected to win, but because he would draw voters away from Labor.

Marrickville Mayor Sam Byrne, of the Greens, polled 40 per cent of the vote in the 2005 by-election in which Ms Tebbutt won despite a 7 per cent swing against Labor.

Mundine, a cousin of Warren Mundine, president of the Australian Labor Party, could drag even more votes away from Labor.

Mundine's appeal will have to reach beyond the Aboriginal community as only 1.3 per cent of the electorate's voters are Aboriginal. Just over 3 per cent are Muslim, which could help him as he has converted to Islam.

The seat of Marrickville does not include Redfern, where Mundine's support is strongest. It stretches from Newtown to Marrickville and from Petersham to Dulwich Hill.

Mundine is a role model for more than Aboriginal people. He has been very outspoken on injustice to Aborigines and Muslims. He first mooted a move to politics in 2003 as "The Man of the people" after winning the WBA super middleweight title.

His immediate focus will be to give voice to community anger over Planning Minister Frank Sartor, the minister in charge of the Redfern redevelopment, whom locals accuse of heavy-handedness and lack of consultation.

The election contest will reignite the bitter feud between Mr Sartor and one of Mundine's uncles, Mick Mundine, chief executive of the Aboriginal Housing Company, owner of the run-down homes project known as the Block.

Last September, Mr Sartor said in a radio interview that Mick Mundine should "get his black arse" into the minister's office to discuss redevelopment plans. After a public outcry he was forced to apologise.

THE MAN v THE WOMAN

ANTHONY MUNDINE
Age: 31. Partner: Danielle; four children.
Lives: Blakehurst.
Career: Former rugby league player with St George, St George Illawarra and Brisbane.
Boxing division: Super middleweight.
World ranking: 9. 

CARMEL TEBBUTT
Age: 42. Partner: Anthony Albanese, federal MP for Grayndler; one child.
Lives: Marrickville.
Career: Marrickville Deputy Mayor 1995-1998; NSW upper house 1998; Marrickville seat 2005.
Boxing division: Political heavyweight.

Photo: Photo: Craig Golding Protest: Anthony Mundine is expected to run for a seat in Parliament.

Source: The Sun-Herald Mundine squares up to Carmel for political knockout