Warringah candidate Zali Steggall attacked publicly by ex-husband David Cameron and his wife
Zali Steggall’s ex-husband and new wife have deleted their social media accounts after facing a backlash from their extraordinary attack on the Warringah independent candidate’s use of the Christchurch massacre to promote her bid to unseat Liberal opponent Tony Abbott. READ THE FULL STATEMENT.
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Zali Steggall’s ex-husband and new wife have deleted their social media accounts after facing a backlash from their extraordinary attack on the Warringah independent candidate.
Former Olympic Games rower David Cameron, who competed for Australia in Atlanta in 1996, and his new partner, high-profile Sydney barrister Bridie Nolan, lashed out at the former champion skier, accusing her of being “opportunistic” and lacking the “temperament of a leader”.
The couple took issue with Ms Steggall’s use of the Christchurch massacre to promote her bid to unseat Liberal opponent Tony Abbott.
Mr Cameron and Ms Nolan have since deleted their Twitter accounts hours after using the social media platform to explain why they publicly criticised Ms Steggall in a series of heated tweets.
Mr Cameron published a statement at 6.47am on Tuesday saying he called his ex-wife an “idiot” out of “disgust” for her handling of the Christchurch massacre but maintained his support for her political campaign.
Ms Nolan quickly added to the thread that the story was “sensationalised nonsense” and claimed she had tried to have the story killed.
However, several twitter users noted that Ms Nolan provided The Daily Telegraph a 391-word statement prior to publication in which she described Ms Steggall as “opportunistic” and unsuitable for “the nuances of leadership”.
READ THE FULL STATEMENT BELOW
“You do know we all READ your wife’s quoted remarks, right,” One user wrote on the now-deleted twitter thread.
“Because if that was reticent, I’d hate to see what full-throated looked like.”
According to a ReachTEL poll of 622 Warringah residents published in February, Ms Steggall is on track to defeat the former Prime Minister 54-46.
WHAT THEY SAID: ZALI STEGGALL’S EX-HUSBAND AND WIFE LAUNCH ATTACK
In a condolence tweet to the victims of the massacre on March 15 Ms Steggall linked the shooting to hate speech and ended the post with the hashtag “Warringah votes”.
“Such a stark and horrific reminder of where extreme ideology hate and divisive speech leads. My deepest condolences to the families. #warringahvotes #auspol,” Ms Steggall wrote.
Mr Cameron, whose marriage to Ms Steggall lasted four years and produced two children, called his ex-wife an “idiot” for promoting the election off the back of the tragedy.
“What sort of opportunistic person puts a promotional hashtag in a tweet intended for the condolences of a grieving nation? Idiot,” he wrote in reply to Ms Steggall’s tweet, which has since been deleted.
A second tweet from Ms Steggall about the Christchurch shooting later attacked Mr Abbott and his “far right cohort” comparing him unfavourably with NZ PM Jacinda Ardern.
Ms Nolan, who married Ms Steggall’s ex-husband in 2012, called on her to quit as a candidate, writing: “You are showing you do not have what it takes. Withdraw now before you embarrass your family further. This and your tweet from Friday really are disgraceful.”
On Monday, Ms Nolan told The Daily Telegraph she was “appalled” at the aspiring politician’s actions.
“Both my husband and I were appalled that Zali considered it appropriate to tweet in an opportunistic fashion not once, but twice about the Christchurch tragedy, in the manner and tone in which she did. Unfortunately, neither he nor I was surprised.
“We both know personally how opportunistic Zali is.
“My children’s family, with whom I am personally very close and connected, all live there. I know well how the tragedy affected that nation. It was not a time for political point scoring, in my view, or condemnation of any kind. I thought it publicly demonstrated Zali’s unsuitability for the nuances of leadership.”
Ms Nolan, who describes herself as “a devastatingly experienced barrister and arbitrator”, said that Ms Steggall, also a barrister, should not have given reporters interviews after the Lindt Cafe siege in 2014.
“Our friends and colleagues were among those trapped in the cafe, and one, Katrina Dawson, tragically died,” Ms Nolan said.
“No one at the Bar spoke about their experience that day, except Zali. We closed ranks out of respect for our colleagues, their families and those affected. It was not the approach taken by Zali.”
Ms Steggall was quoted at the time as saying it was “horrendous” for victims caught in the “wrong place at the wrong time”.
“It was quite surreal,’’ she told The Australian in 2014.
“I go through the cafe all the time. Most of the barristers’ trolleys are brought through the Lindt Cafe to avoid a set of stairs.
“At this time of year, it’s also full of children a bit later in the day. It’s school holidays so there are tourists and kids in visiting their parents at work. It’s horrendous for the people who were caught in there. They were just in the wrong place at the wrong time.’’
Ms Steggall declined to comment to The Daily Telegraph on Monday about Mr Cameron and Ms Nolan’s criticisms of her.
DAVID CAMERON: I MADE THIS COMMENT ‘IN DISGUST
On Tuesday morning Mr Cameron released a statement on Twitter saying the tweets reported in The Daily Telegraph were made “in disgust” and do not reflect his “support for Zali’s campaign”.
“Today’s article in The Daily Telegraph does not reflect how my wife and I feel,” he wrote.
“It is a story about tweets made a month ago in disgust and does not reflect our support for Zali’s campaign.
“My wife @BridieNolan spoke to reporters with much reticence after consultation with me.”
Ms Nolan replied to her husband’s tweet saying the story was “regrettable”.
“Please keep up your support for Zali and forget about this,” Ms Nolan wrote.
“It’s sensationalised nonsense. I tried to convince the Telegraph to leave this alone, as it was not in anyone’s interests and certainly not the children’s.”
Just one day earlier Ms Nolan gave The Daily Telegraph a 391-word statement in which she described Ms Steggall as “opportunistic” and unsuitable for “the nuances of leadership.
READ THE FULL STATEMENT FROM BRIDIE NOLAN FROM APRIL 15, 2019
Prior to coming to the Bar I was an academic at the University of Sydney and UNSW in international relations. I studied international conflict and understood well the political consequences of the words of our leaders.
I read Zali’s first tweet and was appalled, because it showed a genuine ignorance of her role and its importance.
Fitzsimmons (sic) then wrote his piece on Ardern which initially paid homage to her attributes as a leader, but then turned quickly into an attack on Abbott and support for Steggall, simply by reason of her gender.
Then, Zali tweeted her second tweet, to which I responded. I had, like most politically minded people, been expressing views on twitter that weekend.
Both my husband and I were appalled that Zali considered it appropriate to tweet in an opportunistic fashion not once, but twice about the Christchurch tragedy, in the manner and tone in which she did.
Unfortunately, neither he nor I was surprised. We both know personally how opportunistic Zali is.
One clear example from my perspective was the story she gave on the morning of the Lindt siege to The Australian sports reporter, Nicola Jeffries, about her personal experience in the Lindt tragedy.
Zali had chambers in the building and was in chambers when the attack occurred. Phillip Street, home to Sydney’s bar was shut down that day and we were all evacuated. Our friends and colleagues were among those trapped in the café, and one, Katrina Dawson, tragically died. No one at the Bar spoke about their experience that day, except Zali.
We closed ranks out of respect for our colleagues, their families and those affected. It was not the approach taken by Zali then and not the approach taken by her now.
On a more personal level, my eldest daughters’ father is from New Zealand and I have spent a lot time there and love the country very much. My children’s’ family, with whom I am personally very close and connected, all live there.
I know well how the tragedy affected that nation in an unprecedented way. It was not a time for political point scoring, in my view, or condemnation of any kind.
It was not a time for political point scoring, in my view, or condemnation of any kind. I thought it publicly demonstrated Zali’s unsuitability for the nuances of leadership.
What we know about Zali Steggall
Ms Steggall is the first Australian to win an individual medal at the Winter Olympics. She was a schoolteacher before professional athlete, teaching at Mosman girls school Queenwood before going on to win bronze in the alpine slalom at the 1998 games in Nagano.
After retiring, Ms Steggall qualified as a barrister, specialising in corporate and sports law in 2002. She was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 2004 and received the Medal of the Order of Australia for her contributions to sport and charities in 2007.
Combining her sports and law degrees, Ms Steggall holds positions at the Australia Sports Anti-Doping Authority (ASADA) and the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Ms Steggall, who lives in North Balgowlah, is now going up against former Prime Minister Tony Abbott in the seat of Warringah at the upcoming federal election. Mr Abbott has held the safe Liberal seat since 1994.
Former husband Cameron was a national champion rower, who won silver medals at junior and senior world championships and finished 13th overall in the single skulls at the Atlanta Olympic Games.
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