Zali Steggall beats controversial Liberal candidate Katherine Deves in Warringah

Warringah’s controversial Liberal candidate Katherine Deves has failed to take the seat back from independent Zali Steggall.

Controversial Liberal candidate Katherine Deves has been defeated in Warringah, losing to the incumbent independent Zali Steggall.

The Australian called the seat for Ms Steggall about 7.40pm.

“Isn’t it amazing?” Ms Steggall told supporters at her victory party.

Ms Steggall thanked her family, staff and 1400 volunteers whose “energy and passion” had not dimmed in four years.

She said these people behind the scenes had rallied the troops with an “amazing passion and vision for what politics can be”.

Ms Steggall made plenty of headlines in 2019 after unseating former prime minister Tony Abbott in his electorate and the area was again in the spotlight due to Ms Deves’ contentious views on transgender people.

There was plenty of drama around Ms Deves after deleted Twitter posts emerged in which she described transgender teenagers as “surgically mutilated and sterilised” — something that she initially apologised for, but then later defended.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison plucked Ms Deves from obscurity as a “captain’s pick” candidate and there’s speculation she was being used to amplify controversial views that could resonate with voters in other areas.

Zali Steggall (left) and Katherine Deves.

Finance Minister Simon Birmingham, who was on the ABC’s election night panel, delivered a frank assessment of his own party’s decision to run Ms Deves.

He noted that Ms Deves was performing even worse than Mr Abbott had three years earlier.

“I think the 2019 election result in Warringah was a devastating one for the Liberal Party. To see a former Liberal Party leader in Tony Abbott lose there as comprehensively as he did,” Mr Birmingham said.

“But to see the Liberal vote appear to be going backwards to the tune of 7 per cent (tonight), I think, sends a clear message.

“And in the case of Warringah — and we’ve all seen the issues that have played out there — I think it sends a message about what Australians believe when it comes to issues of respect, of inclusion, of diversity. And the message is that Australians want people to respect their lives, but they also have a strong and profound for the lives of others.

“I fear that the impact in Warringah may have had something of a contagion effect on adjacent Liberal seats. (Candidates) that actually do hold the right values, but may be paying a very high price.”

Host Leigh Sales noted: “That sounds like you’re sending a very strong message to members of your own party.”

“I think these are issues we will have to clearly address,” he replied.

“We want to make sure we improve the Liberal vote and are competitive to win back seats like Warringah and ensure that we hold seats like North Sydney and Wentworth, and we have to have not just candidates who reflect those values, as Dave Sharma and Trent Zimmerman unquestionably do, but have to make sure that the party appreciates those values.”

Mr Birmingham declined to say he held Mr Morrison responsible for the pre-selection of Ms Deves as the Warringah candidate. He did, however, acknowledge that “serious mistakes” were made by the party.

Zali Steggall holds Warringah with a 7.3 per cent margin. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Christian Gilles

Ms Deves’ candidacy was controversial among other Liberals, not just voters, with NSW Treasurer Matt Kean calling for her to be disendorsed, and North Sydney MP Trent Zimmerman also privately urging the PM’s office to dump her.

However, former Liberal prime ministers John Howard and Mr Abbott appeared with Ms Deves in the dying days of the campaign to back her.

Clearly, it didn’t work.