Kristina Keneally 2017. Keneally has contributed to "The Guardian Australia" since December 2014 on a range of politico-social issues such as religion in politics, same sex marriage and asylum seeking. In November 2017, Keneally was preselected by federal Labor as their candidate for the Bennelong by-election on 16 December. Despite picking up a five percent two-party swing, she lost to the previous incumbent and Liberal candidate John Alexander. On 30 January 2018, the Labor Party announced that Keneally would fill the vacant New South Wales seat in the Senate left by the previous Senator, Sam Dastyari, who formally resigned earlier that month
Kristina Keneally enough primary votes to win without the need for preferences. With Labor's defeat beyond doubt, Keneally resigned as premier and state Labor leader on election night and announced she would return to the backbench. Accepting responsibility for the worst defeat of a sitting government in NSW's history, Keneally said, "The truth is the people of NSW, who entrusted us with government for 16 years, did not leave us. We left them." On 11 June 2011, Keneally was granted by the Governor retention of the title "The Honourable". On 23 June 2012, Keneally announced her resignation from the New South Wales