Zali Steggall
Before entering politics, Steggall was an internationally successful alpine skier, winning a bronze medal in slalom at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, and a World Championship gold medal in 1999. In the Winter Olympics she is Australia's first individual medallist and first female medallist. Steggall's Olympic career extended from Albertville in 1992 to Salt Lake City in 2002. After her Olympic career, Steggall completed a law degree and began working as a solicitor, and then as a barrister. Steggall also became involved in several NGOs, including serving as director of the Sport Australia Hall of Fame from 2014 to 2019. At the 2019 federal election, Steggall ran as an independent candidate and won the seat, and increased her margin at the 2022 federal election.
Early life
Steggall was born in Manly, New South Wales, in 1974. She and her family lived in France from 1978 until 1989, and she started ski racing while living there, at the ski resort of Morzine in the French Alps. Her parents had intended to stay for only 18 months, but they liked the lifestyle so much that they stayed. Her mother, Dr. Susan Steggall, documented these ten years in the book Alpine Beach. A Family Adventure.
Steggall won European age championships at the ages of 10 and 13, and was a member of the French junior skiing team at the age of 14. Steggall was educated in Sydney at Queenwood School for Girls following the family's return to Australia in 1989.
Steggall's grandfather Jack Steggall played ten Tests for Australia in rugby union, and her father played rugby for Northern Suburbs, Manly Rugby Club and Manly Lifesavers. Her brother is Olympic snowboarder Zeke Steggall.
Skiing career (1992–2002)
Despite moving back to Australia, the Steggall siblings regularly travelled to the northern hemisphere to train. She was also sent overseas by the Australian Ski Institute to train under Austrian alpine coach Helmut Spiegl.
Steggall was selected to make her Olympic debut in Albertville in 1992, at the age of 17. She came 23rd out of 44 entries in the giant slalom event, and failed to finish the slalom or the combined event. At the 1994 Olympics in Lillehammer, the size of the field was reduced. Steggall came 22nd out of 28 athletes in the slalom and 24th and last in the giant slalom. She withdrew from the super-G and was unplaced in the overall standings.
In December 1995, Steggall broke into the top 10 in a World Cup event, placing 10th in the slalom event at Sankt Anton. In January 1996, Steggall came fourth at the World Championships in Sestriere, Italy, missing bronze by 0.04 seconds.
Steggall came into the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano as one of the medal favourites. Three months earlier, she had become the first Australian woman to win a World Cup event in alpine skiing, after winning the slalom event at Park City, Utah. She posted the fastest time in both of her runs to win by 0.78 seconds. She then came fifth, sixth and tenth in the next three World Cup events to be ranked sixth in the world. Steggall won a Europa Cup event at Piancavallo. She won Australia's first individual Winter Olympic medal with a bronze in slalom skiing at Nagano in 1998. Her time of 1 minute 32.67 seconds was 0.27 seconds behind the winner. In December, Steggall placed second in a World Cup event at Mammoth Mountain, missing the gold medal by 0.01 seconds to Anja Pärson. This 2nd place finish made her the first woman from Australia to win an alpine medal in a World Cup competition. She had earlier placed second at Park City, giving her an overall ranking of seventh.
Steggall's success prompted the Australian Olympic Committee to expand the Australian Ski Institute into the Olympic Winter Institute of Australia. It was given a million-dollar annual budget and for the first time, Australia had a federal government-funded full-time training program to accompany the Australian Institute of Sport. It operated in six sports and supported 37 athletes and resulted in an immediate upturn in results, with numerous athletes going on to win gold for Australia across the winter sport disciplines.
In 1999, Steggall won the slalom event at the World Championships held in Vail, Colorado, in the United States, the first championship of any athlete in the southern hemisphere. Steggall's Olympic career ended at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, where she failed to complete her first run and was eliminated.
Steggall was part of the Sydney Olympic torch relay in September 2000, carrying the Olympic flame along the pathway of Olympians in Manly and on the Manly ferry to Circular Quay. In 2004, she was part of the Athens Olympic torch relay, carrying the Olympic flame to the top of the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
Legal career (2002–2019)
Steggall retired from skiing in 2002. She completed a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in communications and media studies from Griffith University, Brisbane, Queensland, and then studied law. She was admitted as a solicitor while working for her father's legal practice in Manly, New South Wales. In 2008, she was admitted to the NSW Bar. Her principal areas of practice as a barrister were family law, sports law, and commercial law. Between 2010 and 2013, Steggall was councillor to the NSW Bar Association and served as the chair of its Health, Sports, and Recreation Committee.
From 2014 to 2019, Steggall was an independent non-executive director of the Olympic Winter Institute of Australia, and director of the Sport Australia Hall of Fame. In 2014, Steggall became a member of the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Agency (ASADA) Anti-Doping Rule Violation Panel. She was appointed an arbitrator of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in January 2017. In 2018, Steggall was one of 12 worldwide arbitrators appointed to the ad hoc tribunal of the CAS for the Pyeongchang Winter Olympic Games, and she became a member of the Council of Governors at Queenwood School for Girls.
2019 election
On 27 January 2019, Steggall announced her candidacy as an independent in the Division of Warringah in the 2019 Australian federal election, running against former Australian Prime Minister and incumbent Liberal MP Tony Abbott on a platform advocating action on climate change, mental health and honest government. Steggall also opposed the changes to capital gains tax, franking credits, and negative gearing that were being proposed by the Labor opposition under Bill Shorten, and argued for lower taxes on small businesses.
During the campaign, Steggall was the subject of an online smear campaign that attacked her Wikipedia page, and Steggall called on Abbott to condemn this misinformation campaign. Steggall also stated that she would advocate for changes in electoral laws, to mandate a "minimum standard of truth" in political advertising. On 2 May, Steggall and Abbott participated in a televised debate in front of a live audience of voters.
Steggall and Abbott clashed on measures to address climate change, such as stronger vehicle emissions standards, and support for electric cars and charging stations. Abbott opposed subsidizing the car industry. Although Steggall did not favour a mandate for 50 percent electric vehicles by 2030, she supported policies that would move toward that target and sufficient charging stations to support the higher electric use. She stated that with better controls in place, emissions could be reduced more than 45 percent by 2030. She also supported the creation of an independent advisory to phase out dependence on coal and spur development of renewable energy projects.
Steggall raised $1.1 million AUD in funding for her campaign from 1378 donors. This was the most funding of any independent candidate at the 2019 election, and the highest number of individual donors of any campaign. $104,000 AUD was contributed by the former director of the Australian branch of the World Wide Fund for Nature, Robert Purves, and his sister, Sandra Purves.
At the 18 May 2019 election, Steggall defeated Abbott, who had held Warringah since a 1994 by-election. Steggall won the seat with a two candidate preferred vote of 57.24%. Abbott went into the election holding Warringah with a majority of 11 percent. However, he lost over 12 percent of his primary vote from 2016, and finished just under 4,100 votes behind Steggall on the first preference count. Her victory marked the first time that the traditional blue-ribbon Liberal seat had been out of the hands of the Liberals or their predecessors since its formation in 1922. Steggall has been described as the pioneer of the Climate 200-backed teal independent movement, who combined conservative views on economics with progressive views of the environment and won several seats at the 2022 federal election.
Member of Parliament (2019–present)
First term
Steggall served on the Standing Committee on Environment and Energy and the Joint Select Committee for Australia's Family Law System Reform from 2019 to 2022. In November 2020, she stated her opposition to the merging of the Family Court with the Federal Circuit Court, because it would overburden judges already dealing with excessive case loads, and eliminate the specialized and supportive nature of the family court. Steggall stated that the law should balance the rights of mothers and fathers but to avoid polarization should focus on the rights of children. She also objected to live broadcasting of the committee's inquiry after Pauline Hanson's One Nation's live-stream allowed commenters to attack witnesses.
As part of the "Bring Julian Assange Home" parliamentary group, Steggall opposed extradition of Assange to face charges in the United States on his publishing rights. In October 2021, Steggall introduced a bill entitled Commonwealth Electoral Amendment (Stop the Lies) Bill, to crack down on political misinformation. The bill was not supported by any major party. The following month, she voiced that she did not support Australia's diplomatic boycott of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, saying that athletes should not be pressured to make political statements for their governments.
Second term
During the 2022 federal election campaign, Steggall called for Liberal candidate Katherine Deves to be disendorsed over her transphobic comments, and described the comments as "toxic, ill-informed and offensive". Steggall criticised Prime Minister Scott Morrison for choosing Deves as a candidate, stating that "[Morrison] either knew her views and selected her anyway, or he wasn’t properly informed and made a flawed decision". Steggall also criticised Deves' campaign for hiring the wife of Steggall's ex-husband, calling this "low and vindictive" behaviour. On 6 May, posters were placed around the electorate that falsely claimed Steggall to be a member of the Australian Greens. Similar incidents also occurred targeting fellow independent candidates Sophie Scamps (Mackellar) and Georgia Steele (Hughes).
Steggall received $25,000 AUD in funding from Climate 200 for her campaign. She was criticised for failing to disclose a A$100,000 from a family trust controlled by a former coal investor in the previous election cycle. The A$100,000 was split into eight separate donations by Warringah Independent Ltd, the fundraising entity hired by Steggall's campaign, to keep them under the disclosure threshold of A$13,800. Under the rules in place, Steggall did not have to report the donation because Warringah Independent was responsible for filing the disclosures, but when auditors discovered the mistake, she "personally disclosed the donation", according to journalist Rob Harris. Steggall retained her seat in the 2022 federal election, defeating Deves, and increasing her margin by 3.72% on a two-party preferred basis.
Steggall became a member of the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Climate Change, Energy, Environment and Water in August 2022. In her second term, she has been vocal about housing affordability, economic inequalities and supporting businesses. In August 2023, Steggall supported measures that prevented large multinational companies from evading tax. She also supported protecting retirees' superannuation from excessive taxation. She was in favour of the Yes vote in the unsuccessful October 2023 Australian Indigenous Voice referendum, which proposed the creation of an advisory body for First Nations Australians to advise on issues relevant to them. She took part in a 'Run for the Voice' event to promote the Yes campaign, and was "gutted" that the referendum did not succeed.
Steggall reintroduced her political misinformation legislation, in November 2023, but it was again unsuccessful. In January 2024, Steggall criticised Prime Minister Anthony Albanese for making changes to the planned stage three tax cuts. The changes included reducing the overall tax rate and giving larger cuts to individuals earning under A$200,000 annually. Steggall was not opposed to the tax cuts because the economy had changed, but she was critical that the tax legislation was amended after the government had insisted that it would not make changes.
In 2024, Steggall accused Liberal leader Peter Dutton of racism over his support for prohibiting Gazans from attaining Australian visas amid the Israel–Hamas war.
Personal life
Steggall was married to Olympic rower David Cameron from 1999 until their separation in 2006. They have two children from their marriage. Steggall met marketing executive Tim Irving in 2007, they became engaged in June 2008 and married later that year.
Honours
Steggall received an Australian Sports Medal in 2000, and a Medal of the Order of Australia in 2007. She was inducted into the Australian Institute of Sport 'Best of the Best' in 2001 and the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 2004.
A blue trail called "Zali's" in Blue Cow, Perisher is named after Steggall.
See also
Notes
- ^ "Zali Steggall". Sport Australia Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on 25 October 2020. Retrieved 25 September 2020.
- ^ "Ms Zali Steggall OAM, MP". Senators and Members of the Parliament of Australia. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
- ^ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Zali Steggall". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020.
- ^ "Curtin, Jennie. Skorching Skis". The Sydney Morning Herald. 25 November 1997. p. 53. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
- ^ Andrews (2000), p. 405.
- ^ Maley, Jacqueline (20 April 2019). "On the road with the two faces of Zali Steggall". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 16 August 2019. Retrieved 16 January 2024.
- ^ Gordon (2003), p. 282.
- ^ Clark, Andrew (28 June 2019). "How Zali Steggall beat Tony Abbott". Australian Financial Review. Archived from the original on 29 September 2023. Retrieved 16 January 2024.
- ^ "Meet Zali". Zali Steggall. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
- ^ Magnay, Jacquelin (18 February 2021). "From the Archives, 1998: Zali Steggall makes Olympic history". The Age. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
- ^ Dasey, Jason (13 February 1999). "Zali finds a fresh ray of hope". The Sydney Morning Herald. p. 55. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
- ^ Gordon (2003), p. 280.
- ^ The Compendium, p. 218.
- ^ The Compendium, p. 220.
- ^ "Women's world cup slalom". The Sydney Morning Herald. 19 December 1995. p. 37. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
- ^ Gordon (1994), p. 279.
- ^ "Magnay, Jacquelin. Steggall's Super Bronze". The Sydney Morning Herald. 20 February 1998. p. 44. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
- ^ "Swedish Rookie Beats Steggall". The Age. 5 December 1998. p. 55. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
- ^ "Zali Steggall". Sport Australia Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on 25 October 2020. Retrieved 25 September 2020.
- ^ "Skiing". The Age. 23 November 1998. p. 40. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
- ^ The Compendium, p. 225.
- ^ Pearson, Nick (14 March 2019). "Zali Steggall calls on Tony Abbott to denounce 'trolls'". Nine News. Archived from the original on 16 December 2023. Retrieved 16 December 2023.
- ^ "Sydney lights up for torch relay". The Sydney Morning Herald. Australian Associated Press. 1 June 2004. Archived from the original on 16 December 2023. Retrieved 16 December 2023.
- ^ Staff Writers (28 May 2018). "Meet Zali Steggall: Olympic Alpine skier turned Barrister who remains fiercely fit". Women's Agenda. Retrieved 30 June 2024.
- ^ "Zali Steggall". Q+A. Retrieved 30 June 2024.
- ^ "Olympic Skiing medallist Zali Steggall runs for Australian Parliament". International Ski and Snowboard Federation. 22 May 2019. Retrieved 30 June 2024.
- ^ Zali Steggall, Barrister Archived 6 March 2019 at the Wayback Machine, Family Law Chambers
- ^ "The private interests of Zali Steggall MP – 46th Parliament". Open Politics. Archived from the original on 4 January 2024. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
- ^ Davies, Anne; Karp, Paul (27 January 2019). "Zali Steggall to challenge Tony Abbott for Warringah seat". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 26 January 2019. Retrieved 26 January 2019.
- ^ "Ms Zali Steggall OAM". Queenwood School for Girls. Archived from the original on 25 March 2019. Retrieved 25 March 2019.
- ^ Clench, Sam (14 March 2019). "Ugly 'nude photoshoot' claims mar Wikipedia page". news.com.au. Archived from the original on 13 June 2019. Retrieved 18 May 2019.
- ^ Davies, Anne (2 May 2019). "Abbott v Steggall: former PM suggests Australia reopen car industry – despite role in collapse". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 24 January 2024. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
- ^ Karp, Paul; Martin, Sarah (4 November 2019). "Zali Steggall given $1.1m donations in successful bid to topple Tony Abbott". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 26 April 2023. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
- ^ Stayner, Tom. "Zali Steggall $1.1 million in donations leads funding push for climate action candidates". SBS News. Australian Associated Press. Archived from the original on 24 January 2024. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
- ^ "Australian Electoral Division summary of Warringah". Australian Electoral Commission. 18 May 2019. Archived from the original on 9 June 2019. Retrieved 9 June 2019.
- ^ Green, Antony. "Warringah (Key Seat)". Australia votes. ABC News. Archived from the original on 18 May 2019. Retrieved 19 May 2019.
- ^ Davies, Anne (16 May 2019). "'And this is Mosman!': genteel Warringah rocked by election rancour". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 17 June 2024.
- ^ Browne, Peter (24 April 2019). "Warringah rises up". Inside Story. Retrieved 17 June 2024.
- ^ Wahlquist, Calla (23 May 2022). "Teal independents: who are they and how did they upend Australia's election?". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 14 June 2022. Retrieved 14 June 2022.
- ^ Ireland, Judith (19 September 2019). "'Dangerous to polarise this': Steggall puts hand up for family law inquiry". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 30 June 2024.
- ^ Snape, Jack (30 November 2020). "Family law experts reject Government's plan to merge Family Court". ABC News. Retrieved 30 June 2024.
- ^ Smee, Ben (17 March 2020). "Law Council wants family law inquiry discontinued after One Nation live broadcast hearings". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 30 June 2024.
- ^ Harris, Rob (22 March 2021). "Bipartisan delegation of Australian MPs meets with US embassy about Julian Assange". Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 31 May 2022. Retrieved 31 May 2022.
- ^ Bond, Chris (30 August 2021). "MEDIA RELEASE: Zali Steggall MP to introduce Bill to stop the lies in political advertising". Zali Steggall. Retrieved 30 June 2024.
- ^ Holmes, Dan (16 October 2023). "Renewed calls for truth in political advertising laws". The Canberra Times. Retrieved 30 June 2024.
- ^ Tobin, Grace; Ballinger, Amelia (12 November 2020). "Australia encouraged to boycott Beijing Winter Olympics after China trade sanctions". ABC News. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
- ^ Karp, Paul (13 April 2022). "Morrison abandons support for trans sport ban after hand-picked candidate apologises for tweets". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 24 January 2024. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
- ^ Koziol, Michael (13 April 2022). "'New low': Steggall slams Liberal rival for recruiting ex-husband's new wife". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 24 January 2024. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
- ^ Bogle, Ariel; Worthington, Elise (6 May 2022). "Fake signs appear across Sydney suggesting independent candidates are Greens". ABC News. Archived from the original on 24 January 2024. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
- ^ "Donor Return – AEC – Transparency Website". Australian Electoral Commission. Archived from the original on 24 January 2024. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
- ^ Martin, Sarah (14 February 2022). "Zali Steggall defends $100,000 donation from coal investor, saying 'most people have through super'". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 30 June 2024.
- ^ Pearson, Nick (21 May 2022). "Zali Steggall takes comfortable win in Warringah". Nine News. Archived from the original on 23 May 2022. Retrieved 23 May 2022.
- ^ "House of Representatives division information". Australian Electoral Commission. 17 June 2022. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
- ^ Withers, Rachel (9 February 2024). "The colour of money: Are the teals, representing some of the nation's wealthiest electorates, our best hope for addressing inequality? | The Monthly". The Monthly. Archived from the original on 9 February 2024. Retrieved 30 June 2024.
- ^ Lewis, Charlie (5 September 2023). "The teals want sweeping tax reform. What might it cost them?". Crikey. Retrieved 30 June 2024.
- ^ Karp, Paul (24 February 2023). "Teal MPs say capping superannuation at $3m might undermine confidence in saving for retirement". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 30 June 2024.
- ^ Cohen, Dale (22 August 2023). "MPs run for Yes campaign". Northern Beaches Advocate. Archived from the original on 17 December 2023. Retrieved 17 December 2023.
- ^ "'Silver lining' amid overwhelming defeat of the Voice". Sky News Australia. 15 October 2023. Archived from the original on 17 December 2023. Retrieved 17 December 2023.
- ^ REgan, Ashley (14 November 2023). "Zali Steggall's bill to 'stop lies in political advertising' – AdNews". AD News. Retrieved 30 June 2024.
- ^ Mageros, Adriana (24 January 2024). "Teal MP says PM should 'absolutely' apologise for tax cut overhaul". Sky News Australia. Archived from the original on 7 February 2024. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
- ^ Middleton, Karen (16 August 2024). "'Pauline Hanson without the personality': Dutton says he's not racist as MPs condemn Gaza visa ban stance". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
- ^ Maley, Jacqueline (20 April 2019). "On the road with the two faces of Zali Steggall". Archived from the original on 16 August 2019. Retrieved 16 August 2019.
- ^ "Zali Steggall announces her engagement". The Daily Telegraph. 13 June 2008. Retrieved 4 August 2009.
- ^ "Australian Sports Medal entry for Steggall, Zali". Australian Honours Database. Canberra, Australia: Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. 8 February 2000. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
- ^ "Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) entry for Steggall, Zali". Australian Honours Database. Canberra, Australia: Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. 26 January 2007. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
For service to alpine skiing, and to the community through support for a range of charitable groups.
- ^ Australian Institute of Sport 'Best of the Best' Archived 23 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Zali Steggall Facebook Reel". Facebook. Retrieved 31 July 2024.
References
- Andrews, Malcolm (2000). Australia at the Olympic Games. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. ISBN 0-7333-0884-8.
- Gordon, Harry (1994). Australia and the Olympic Games. University of Queensland. ISBN 0-7022-2627-0.
- Gordon, Harry (2003). The time of our lives: inside the Sydney Olympics : Australia and the Olympic Games 1994–2002. University of Queensland. ISBN 0-7022-3412-5.
- The Compendium: Official Australian Olympic Statistics 1896–2002. Australian Olympic Committee. 2003. ISBN 0-7022-3425-7.
External links
- Zali Steggall at Ski-DB Alpine Ski Database
- Zali Steggall at the International Ski and Snowboard Federation
- Zali Steggall at Olympedia (archive)
- Zali Steggall at Olympics.com
- Zali Steggall at the Australian Olympic Committee
- Zali Steggall at the Sport Australia Hall of Fame
- News report on her World Championship slalom victory
- speaker's information – source of some biographical information
- Parliamentary profile