Warringah election: New wave of young Liberals join local conference to take on Zali Steggall

A youth wave has swept through the ranks of the Warringah branch of the Liberal Party, as members rally in record numbers to reclaim the seat Zali Steggall claimed from Tony Abbott.

A wave of young people have joined the Liberal Party in Warringah as a reaction to independent Zali Steggall winning the last election, a Liberal source claims.

The conference is now the biggest in NSW and possibly the largest in the country, with more than 1000 members – a third of them are under 30.

The party source said there has been a sharp increase in members since the last election in 2019, up from about 800.

“It’s a shift from the past,” he said.

“As a party we can have the right message and a Prime Minister who is popular but you really need that support at grassroots level.

“I think a lot of people have joined because they want to play a role in trying to win the seat back and don’t want to leave it to chance.”

Zali Steggall pictured with her volunteers and staff at her after election party, Zali Steggall won the seat of Warringah in the 2019 Election, Novetel, Manly, Sydney, 18th May 2019. Picture by Damian Shaw

Ms Steggall received enormous grassroots support in a short period of time from a similar number of locals in the run up to the 2019 federal election, where she unseated former prime minister Tony Abbott.

They ranged in age from teenagers to silver surfers and were nicknamed the “turquoise army” after the colour of Ms Steggall’s campaign T-shirts.

The new conference figures comes, as ticket sales for a ‘Wining Back Warringah Raffle’ appear to be going well.

The top prizes in a raffle to help fund the Liberal campaign to win back Warringah from Zali Steggall. Picture: Liberal Party NSW.

Top prize is a surf with Mr Abbott, which is not to everyone’s taste, according to a source.

“Everyone has an opinion on the raffle and the prizes,” said one.

“Quite a few people have asked whether they can enter the raffle, but they don’t want to surf with Tony.

“It’s not the politics. There are a few older members who don’t want to go surfing.”

However, another Liberal questioned the strategy of including Mr Abbott in the raffle.

Tony Abbott and Mike Baird go for a surf. Picture: Braden Fastier

“The party has moved on from that part of our history,” they said.

“We greatly value Tony’s input and counsel.

“He was the member for 25 years but to be using him in this way is not appropriate. He is still quite divisive in the party.”

Other prizes include a few beers with James Griffin, the Manly state Liberal MP, who is offering to accompany four people to the 4 Pines in Brookvale; a morning tea for two hosted by former radio host and Sky News presenter Alan Jones at one of his two homes; a trip to the zoo with state Environment Minister Matt Kean; a Chinese meal with Senator Andrew Bragg and watching a footy match with Mackellar federal MP Jason Falinski.

Flyer for fundraising raffle for the Liberal campaign to win back Warringah. Picture: Liberal Party NSW.

In a email to Liberals in regards to another fundraiser — an $80 a head dinner in Mosman hosted by Andrew Hastie, an MP in WA — Alex Dore, Vice President of the Warringah conference, gave the raffle tickets due to be drawn on February 24 another plug.

“With a wafer-thin majority in Canberra, winning back Warringah is our best safeguard against a future Labor-Greens-Steggall Government,” he wrote.

“The Winning Back Warringah Raffle puts you in the running to win one of 17 amazing prizes in support of the campaign to win back Warringah.

“Crucially, every dollar donated will help provide vital funds to help win back Warringah for the Liberal Party and for Australia.”

Young Liberal, Alex Dore, is running the raffle fundraiser. John Feder/The Australian.

Meanwhile, another source said former premier Mike Baird, who has consistently denied any interest in re-entering politics is receiving a lot of pressure within Liberal circles to run for the Warringah seat.

Other potential candidates tipped for preselection include Jane Buncle, a top flight barrister; Carolyn Reid, a former real estate agent; Natalie Ward, currently serving on the NSW Legislative Council; Sasha Grebe, former advisor to Scott Morrison; Tim James, nicknamed ‘Tony Abbott 2.0’, Alex Dore, a young Liberal and Vice President of the Warringah FEC and Doug Price, another real estate agent.

Who the next Liberal candidate will be is the talk of the conference at the moment and even Premier Gladys Berejiklian’s name has come up, as well as Mr Kean, who is also state Hornsby MP.