Assuming that the coalition picks up 77 seats in the lower house, Zali Steggal after all the fanfare is now facing the prospect of 3 years on the back bench far from home earning a fraction of what she is earning presently with a government that doesn't need her vote and that is at best ambivalent to her presence.

Tony Abbott on the other hand will now be due taxpayer funded office and car in the Warringah electorate on a pension of nearly $500k p.a. on top of whatever he can earn (which given his qualifications could be considerable) plus the ability to lobby far more effectively for Warringah than Zali can, and can merrily white ant her while she is warming the backbench by claiming any benefits that accrue to the electorate.

And at the end of the 3 years for which she has nothing to show, she will be faced with another election in a pro liberal seat where TA is no longer an opponent, but a vocal supporter of the new challenger.

Wow, Shadow a 12% swing against Abbott, please explain, yesterdays man no longer wanted by the very liberal minded people of Warringah. I never agreed with, for the last time, The Mad Monks politics, but I will commend Tony Abbott for his civic pride, and the efforts he has put in for his local community.

Surprisingly Independents often build a relationship with the locals that party people never achieve. Andrew Wilkie in Tassie, increased his personal vote by 6%. Then there was the blow in, high profile, relative of Chock's, Warren Mundine whose parachute completely failed to open in the seat of Gilmore NSW.

Three years in parliament, only because the gullible fools who voted for her can't get rid of her before that - then back to oblivion.
Abbott lost, she didn't win.

See also Phelps and the Greek woman in Chisolm, who also think that being female is something special.

Hi Paul,

Yes, you never know what millions of dollars and thousands of Labor Party 'volunteers' can do. But Shadow Minister makes some very valid points which you seem to ignore.

But in spite of all that Get-Up money, Steggall is suggesting that she will back the government on most issues except on their position on greenhouse effect/climate change/climate CRISIS! of one degree temperature rise every 160 years, and one-inch sea-level rise every ten years. Or will the Greens now pivot away to focus the attention of small children on pollution ? About time. There's a rich - and genuine - vein to tap.

I wonder if Abbott will challenge for the seat next time around ? Will Get-Up fork out another few million to keep him at bay ? Watch this space.

Cheers,

Joe

Getup have obviously too much negative gearing savings to splash around. Imagine the community projects they could start & actually give real people real jobs !

Morrison should appoint Abbott as a gw alarmist Ambassador to the UN instead of Bishop. Now would not that put the icing on then cake.