In Cabramatta, Dai Le is pulled up by locals on a walk through its bustling laneways.
Many just want to say "hello" or have a chat.
The south-western Sydney suburb lies at the heart of the city's Vietnamese community and forms part of the federal electorate of Fowler, one of the nation's most culturally diverse.
It also takes in other areas, including Liverpool, Warwick Farm and Fairfield East.
According to 2016 Census data, more than 70 per cent of people have both parents born overseas.
About 16 per cent have Vietnamese heritage.
Ms Le, the deputy mayor of Fairfield and a former refugee, is running as an independent candidate in the upcoming federal election.
She said her links to the area would help her campaign.
"When my family came here as refugees from Vietnam, we were resettled in Bossley Park, which is part of Fowler … I've grown up and seen the transition of the city," she said.
"I live and breathe this community. This is my community."
Labor has held the seat since its creation in 1984 and holds it by a 14 per cent margin.
Retiring MP Chris Hayes — who has represented Fowler since 2010 — had backed Vietnamese lawyer Tu Le as his replacement, however, Labor senator Kristina Keneally was parachuted into the safe seat.
Ms Keneally was facing an uncertain future after being unable to rise above third place on Labor's Senate ticket for the 2022 federal election.
The move was criticised — both within the Labor Party and externally— with Ms Le saying she was disappointed "for herself and for her community".
Ms Keneally relocated to the electorate last year from Scotland Island on Sydney's Northern Beaches.
"This is a diverse community, absolutely. It's one I know well from my time as premier of New South Wales. I've got the experience and the strength to stand up for this community," Ms Keneally said.
"This is an opportunity for the people of south-west Sydney to have a strong and experienced voice at the heart of government."
Unemployment in Fowler is double the national rate, at 10.5 per cent, and just 22.8 per cent of residents have completed Year 12.
After last year's harsh COVID-19 lockdown, trust in government is low.
Ms Keneally said the lockdown highlighted the significant challenges in the area.
"We had circumstances where people were locked into homes where they had more people than rooms, the housing affordability crisis hits hard here in south-west Sydney," she said.
"That's why Labor's got a plan for a housing affordability fund, more affordable housing, more social housing."
Ms Keneally said employment, TAFE and apprenticeships for young people and strengthening access to Medicare were at the top of her agenda.
For Dai Le, there are issues as "long as her arm" because federal funding has been "negligible" over the past decades.
But, she says, only a local will be able to advocate for the community in Parliament, and she's putting up a strong fight.
"We're not a privileged part of Sydney so, therefore, we need somebody who has actually lived through a low-socio economic community like Fowler to understand the challenges that we have faced for many decades," she said.
The once-member of the Liberal Party is backed by popular Fairfield mayor Frank Carbone.
They teamed up in last year's local elections, winning a large proportion of the vote between them.
According the Australian Election Company, Mr Carbone secured more than 70 per cent of the mayoral vote.
ABC's election analyst Antony Green said Ms Le is a serious contender.
"Kristina Keneally should be concerned about Dai Le running in Fowler," he said.
"Dai Le has contested the state seat of Cabramatta on several occasions and polled very strongly, she's also polled strongly on Fairfield City Council local government elections.
"She's well connected with the numerically strong Vietnamese community in the district. She will be a serious candidate for Fowler."
Local real estate agent Courtney Nguyen is running for the Liberal Party. The ABC has contacted the party for comment.
Candidates from The Greens, United Australia Party, Liberal Democrats, and Pauline Hanson's One Nation are also contesting the seat.
'Missed opportunity'
Fowler re-ignited the debate about the lack of diversity in Australian politics, an issue that Australian National University's Jieh-Yung Lo says plagues both major parties.
"It's no use claiming to be the most multicultural when you don't have elected representatives [who] don't reflect contemporary, modern Australia," said the director of ANU's centre for Asian-Australian leadership.
Of the 227 members in federal parliament, five (or 2.2 per cent) have Asian or south-Asian heritage: Labor's Penny Wong, the Coalition's Gladys Liu, Ian Goodenough and Dave Sharma, and the Greens' Mehreen Faruqi.
Mr Lo said Labor failed to "walk the talk" when they replaced Ms Le with Kristina Keneally.
He said it was "a missed opportunity" because Asian-Australians and people of colour need to be the drivers of change, "not just the passengers".
"We need to be given the opportunity to help set the agenda, to help shape our country and the best way of doing that is through politics and through our Parliament," Mr Lo said.
"So, to have that opportunity taken away has been very disappointing."
