22 April 2025
Prepolling has opened in the federal electorate of Warringah, with incumbent independent Zali Steggall entering the campaign as the clear frontrunner in a field of eight candidates spanning the political spectrum.
Steggall—who unseated former prime minister Tony Abbott in 2019 and increased her margin in 2022—holds the seat with a commanding 61% two-candidate-preferred vote and remains well placed despite redistribution changes that brought in new territory from the former North Sydney electorate.
Her main challenger is Liberal candidate Jaimee Rogers, a media personality and accomplished swimmer who lives locally with her husband and two sons. Rogers has worked across radio and television covering sports such as NRL, WNRL and racing, and is an ambassador for mental health charity Gotcha4Life. She is campaigning on a Liberal platform of economic stability, housing affordability, and improved local transport and environmental outcomes.
Labor’s Celine Varghese-Fell is also standing. A longtime Balgowlah resident and community volunteer, she is the director of an OOSH service and a member of the Amnesty International Manly branch. Her platform focuses on education, equity and social justice.
The Greens are represented by 23-year-old artist and student Bonnie Harvey, who currently serves as a Northern Beaches councillor for Manly Ward. Harvey has positioned herself as a voice for climate action, housing affordability, and youth engagement in politics, citing Warringah’s legacy as a climate-conscious electorate.
One Nation’s Gavin Wright brings a background in media production, having worked at Channel 7’s Sunrise. He is campaigning against tolling and council rate hikes and supports Pauline Hanson’s broader national agenda.
Anthony Rose is standing for the Trumpet of Patriots, advocating lower living costs and housing reform. A North Manly glazier and small business owner, Rose is focused on “common sense” solutions for affordability and infrastructure challenges.
Sean McLeod is representing the Libertarian Party. A registered nurse in Manly and former backstage worker at the Sydney Opera House, McLeod is promoting individual freedoms, deregulation and reduced government interference, arguing that both Labor and the Liberals have strayed from their founding principles.
Engineer David Spratt is running as an independent. A 35-year Warringah resident and long-time engineering consultant, Spratt’s campaign spans energy policy, immigration reform, housing access, and large-scale infrastructure projects, including a Warringah metro link and a national very fast train.
Steggall says she is committed to building a strong Australia where everyone – regardless of age, gender, race or location – has an equal opportunity to thrive and feel safe. “To do this we’re tackling our most pressing challenges – from climate to the impacts of global and economic instability – with smart solutions that have a positive impact and set us up for the future,” she says.
The electorate of Warringah spans parts of Sydney’s Northern Beaches and Lower North Shore, including Manly, Mosman, Cremorne, Neutral Bay, Cammeray, Balgowlah, Freshwater and Brookvale. Following the abolition of the neighbouring North Sydney electorate, Warringah gained nearly all of the North Sydney local government area—bar a small area of St Leonards—while ceding Forestville, North Curl Curl and Killarney Heights to Mackellar.
At the 2022 federal election, Steggall or fellow independent Kylea Tink (in North Sydney) won a majority of the two-candidate-preferred vote in all four key subdivisions of the newly drawn seat. Steggall polled as high as 65% in Manly, with majorities of 61.9% in Warringah and 58.9% in Mosman. She also secured 58.7% of the prepoll vote. In the areas of North Sydney added to Warringah, Tink polled just under 59%.
Prepolling is now underway at Fred Hutley Hall in North Sydney and Harbourside Church in Mosman, with election day set to follow in two weeks.