Warringah: Tony Abbott goes head-to-head with Zali Steggall in northern beaches debate
The most hotly anticipated debate of the Federal Election has finished, with Tony Abbott going head-to-head with Zali Steggall in the battle for Warringah. See our blog recap on what was said.
The most hotly anticipated debate of the Federal Election has finished, with Tony Abbott going head-to-head with Zali Steggall in the battle for Warringah.
The pair went going head-to-head in front of you – the Manly Daily readers – at Queenscliff Surf Life Saving Club.
Sky News’ host David Speers moderated the debate, which was broadcast live on the channel as well as on this page.
LIVE BLOG
5.29pm
Tony Abbott in closing: “Zali said she is interested in results and that’s right, we should be. “The only way you get results for our country is if you are part of a government, that’s how you get results.
Not everything this government has done has been perfect but we’ve got the big things right...budget is finally coming back into surplus.
“It is either going to be a Liberal Government or a Labor Government. There is no alternative. “We all know a Labor Government is bad for this area... If we want a good government then only one thing to do is vote Liberal. Anything other will result in a Labor Government.”
5.25pm:
Zali in closing says she was “motivated to come and offer Warringah a choice for a new era”.
She called the election a “referendum for Warringah a choice of whether you want to turn back to the past or look to the future”.
“I am committed to giving absolutely everything I have to the task”, she said.
Zali: “This election is a referendum, do you want to turn towards the past or the future,” she said when summing up.
She said as an athlete she didn’t enter anything lightly, was dedicated to hard work and ready for setbacks.
She said she was a “classic northern beaches tragic” who had only lived within a 5k radius of Manly.
5.17pm
Zali on same-sex marriage: Zali said the electorate felt absolutely abandoned by Mr Abbott after the same sex plebiscite.
Tony Abbott responded by saying he respected the electorate’s views by not voting against it, to which the audience groaned.
5.15pm
Zali on why an independent would be effective:
“It is important that independents represent the voice of their community,” she said.
“Make sure real things happen and not just pushing things down the agenda.
“Extremely focused on putting whoever is in government to account.”
Tony Abbott says as a backbencher he would be more effective than an independent candidate.
“Whatever you can persuade your colleagues to do, you get it done,” he said.
“I have found I am reasonably persuasive over the years.”
5.12pm
The audience laughed when Tony Abbott was asked what difference a backbencher can make? He was quick to reply: “Quite a lot as it happens.”
5.10pm
“I really don’t have anything to do with GetUp,” Zali says.
She said they decided to come to Warringah because Mr Abbott is a “high profile climate change denier”.
She says she does not support some of their advertising.
However, she said they have managed to mobilise people in the electorate.
“Everyone is aware of this election and the issues. Everyone is engaged.”
5.07pm
Zali in response to if the tunnel will bring overdevelopment:
“Not many things we agree on but agree we need investment in infrastructure,” Ms Steggall says in reply.
“But we need to be future focused,” she adds.
She said she wants to investigate the use of driverless trains through the tunnel.
5.05pm
Abbott on if the tunnel will bring overdevelopment:
“We do need to do something. The best way of doing something is not to build a train line which will bring far more people into this beautiful area,” Mr Abbott said.
“Doing nothing here just means the gridlock gets worse month by month, year by year. The tunnel should have been built 20 years ago.”
He said said there could be 50,000 more people on the beaches by 2035.
“I don’t want them,” Abbott said. “We will have to put up with some population increases. The tunnel is essential if we want to protect our quality of life.”
5.04pm
Tony Abbott says of the 20 most popular cars in Australia, none of them would meet the other perceived vehicle standards.
“Policy change has social and economic costs and government have got to be up front about that,” he said.
“They can not explain the costs and Zali says they don’t go far enough.”
Zali says the idea that you would lose your ute or four wheel drive is ridiculous as a result of electric cars.
5.02pm
Abbott on his carbon footprint:
“We connect to the mains... we drive normal cars, in my case my car is 20 years old. So I can’t say we are doing any more than the average person.”
He says when governments try to implement “often well intentioned” policy it hits the poorest people.
He said: “Good government has not just got to worry about the wealthy suburbs but the poorer people as well.”
5pm
On green cars and vehicle emissions, Zali said Australia has one of the lowest standards of vehicle emissions in the world.
Tony Abbott said people should be allowed to choose the cars they want to buy.
“I don’t think we should be attempting to be heroic here,” he said. “Policy change has social and economic costs and governments have to be upfront about that. The problem is that the Labor Party cannot fully explain.”
4.57pm
Zali was asked whether she had solar panels and she said no, but that she was in the middle of organising it when this campaign started.
4.55pm
On the Labor retiree tax, Steggall: “I do not support that policy, it is very divisive,” she said. She told the crowd Labor was moving the goalposts for retirees.
4.53pm
Zali Steggall said that of course Labor has a better policy on climate change.
4.52pm
On climate change policy Mr Abbott warns about making decisions based on unelected “experts”.
“I don’t want to contract out environment policy to a bunch of unelected bureaucrats.”
Ms Steggall responds by saying we need to “trust the science”.
4.52pm
Some of the scenes outside Queenscliff SLSC....
4.48pm
Next question is on the environment:
“I’m very proud of my record,” Mr Abbott says on the environment.
“Lots of people in Warringah think climate change is the only thing that matters.”
He says they can perhaps afford to, adding many people in Warringah have told him they can’t afford for their power bills to keep going up.
“It is important to get the balance right,” he said.
Zali Steggall responds by saying climate change won’t discriminate and will impact every country. She says that politics should be taken out of climate change
4.42pm
They are now on to climate change.
“I’d invite Scott Morrison to come to the table and address climate change,” Steggall says.
“A hung parliament doesn't have the mandate to tackle climate change,” she adds.
4.38pm
Abbott takes the first question on what he hopes to achieve if elected by reaffirming his commitment to the Beaches Link tunnel.
Zali Steggall follows by also stating her support for the tunnel, provided it is done right.
She tells David Speers she “100 per cent supports the tunnel”.
4.35pm
In his opening statement, Tony Abbott says the most important thing for people on the northern beaches is to get the tunnel built.
He told the audience, “I am so passionate about the tunnel. Most of us spend our day in traffic gridlock”.
He said they need to get the tunnel built as quickly as possible.
He said the Liberal government was for it, Labour against it and the Independents tend to sit on the fence.
4.31pm
Zali makes her opening statement by offering condolences to those involved in the tragedy at Crows Nest today.
“It is a really exciting time for Warringah,” Zali tells the audience.
Much of her opening speech is focused on the environment.
“We need to do everything we can to safeguard our environment. We can’t be the generation that fails to act.”
She adds: “I know what it is like to commute and to balance work, family and life commitments.
“I will represent your concerns.”
She finishes by saying this is not about a personal agenda, personal ambition or revenge for her.
4.30pm
A turnout of people at Queenscliff SLSC as the debate kicks off.
4.18pm
Supporters have turned out in their droves at Queenscliff SLSC.
4.14pm
4.12pm
Manly Daily editor Robbie Patterson joins David Speers ahead of the debate between Tony Abbott and Zali Steggall.
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