Election 2025: Liberal candidate Ro Knox way ahead of teal Allegra Spender in Wentworth, says Compass poll

Climate 200 teal independent MP Allegra Spender is trailing her Liberal challenger on the primary vote in the Sydney seat of Wentworth, with security a big issue, according to new polling.

Allegra Spender has organised community meetings and police briefings in her Sydney-east electorate over anti-Semitic attacks and also has sought to toughen race-hate-speech laws in parliament. Picture: Justin Lloyd.

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Climate 200 teal independent MP Allegra Spender is trailing well ­behind her Liberal challenger on the primary vote in the Sydney eastern suburbs electorate of Wentworth amid concerns about security, according to new polling.

Ms Spender’s electorate has been the target of a swath of violent anti-Semitic attacks since the Israel-Gaza conflict began including firebombing of cars and buildings as well as anti-Jewish graffiti.

A Compass poll of Wentworth on Monday found the Liberal candidate, Ro Knox, polled 47 per cent of the primary vote compared with Ms Spender on 28 per cent. Labor and the Greens were on 15 and 10 per cent respectively.

Ms Spender beat Liberal MP Dave Sharma in 2022 with 35.8 per cent of the primary vote.

The SMS text survey of 627 people also showed while cost of living and the environment and climate change were all important issues, the top priority was “national security and immigration”.

Liberal Wentworth candidate Ro Knox. right, Labor Kingsford Smith MP Matt Thistlethwaite and Ms Spender at a seminar on protecting the Jewish community. Picture: James Dowling

According to the poll, which has a margin of error of 4 per cent, the issue of “national security and immigration” was the top priority on 19 per cent.

The environment and climate change was second on 15 per cent.

The top cost-of-living issue was the cost of housing at 14 per cent although there were a number of other issues relating to grocery bills and transport which were also listed.

Ms Spender has organised community meetings and police briefings in her electorate over the anti-Semitic attacks and also has sought to toughen up race-hate-speech laws in parliament.

Peter Dutton told The Australian in an interview that he had found a blending of the issues of national security and local law and order during the election campaign.

“People are anxious about what is happening in other parts of the world,” he said.

“It is interesting in this campaign to see the number of people who, unprompted, raise the issue of national security and their concerns about a general breakdown in law and order,” he said.