Federal election 2019: celebrity politicians face moment of truth

Josh Frydenberg and Tony Abbott both face battles in their seats. Picture: AAP.

Tony Abbott and Treasurer Josh Frydenberg top a list of celebrity politicians who are facing their moment of truth tomorrow in close battles in what should normally be safe seats.

In Warringah, (NSW) a normally safe Liberal seat that spans areas of Sydney’s lower north shore and northern beaches, Abbott is under siege from independent Zali Steggall whose cause is being championed by GetUp in Warringah.

Abbott has held the seat since 1994 and won with a comfortable margin of 11.55 per cent at the last election.

But climate change activists have smashed this margin and he has admitted that he is in the fight of his life. It remains on a knife-edge this morning.

Kooyong, (Vic) in Melbourne’s leafy eastern suburbs, is usually the most blue-ribbon of safe Liberal seats and past members have included Robert Menzies and Andrew Peacock.

But Frydenberg is under assault from the Greens who have preselected human rights lawyer Julian Burnside. Oliver Yates, a banker and renewable energy backer, is also in the field.

Frydenberg is carrying the baggage of his former portfolio of Environment and Energy and the internal battles in the Coalition on coal. However he is tipped to prevail this time.

In Dickson, (Qld) in Brisbane’s northwest, Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton is locked in a tough battle with Labor’s Ali France.

Dutton has held the seat since 2001 when he ousted Labor celebrity candidate Cheryl Kernot.

He suffered a swing at the last election which whittled his margin down to 1.7 per cent. This time Dutton, a favourite political target for the left of politics, has been targeted by GetUp which is campaigning againsts conservative MPs. But he is tipped to prevail in what is a very tight contest.

In Wentworth, (NSW) in Sydney’s eastern suburbs, former AMA president Dr Kerryn Phelps is trying to keep the seat which she won as an independent in October at the height of anger over the dumping of Malcolm Turnbull as Prime Minister.

Turnbull had held the seat since 2004 and had built a strong following in the seat. His supporters voiced their full displeasure at his dumping when they went to the ballot box and Phelps beat the Liberal candidate, former ambassador to Israel, Dave Sharma by about 1 per cent. Sharma is back again this time as the Liberal candidate and party insiders like his chances this time as anger over Turnbull’s dumping diminishes.

In Flinders, (Vic) Health Minister Greg Hunt is facing a challenge from former colleague Julia Banks, who quit the party as part of the fallout over Malcolm Turnbull’s dumping.

Hunt has held the seat, which sits on the southern part of the Mornington Peninsula, since 2001 and enters the election with what should be a comfortable 7 per cent margin. Non-Liberal forces have been buoyed by results at the Victorian state election which saw Labor win the overlapping state seat of Nepean. GetUp and the unions have invested in a campaign to oust Hunt. Despite all the noise, the Liberals are confident of holding this one.

• Sid Maher will call each and every seat as part of The Australian’s live coverage of Federal Election 2019 on Saturday, May 18. You can follow Sid on Twitter and read his latest stories here.