Warren Mundine loses teal target seat preselection as Liberals pick tech executive​on January 18, 2025 at 1:53 am

Tech executive and former Liberal staffer Gisele Kapterian has secured preselection for the Sydney seat of Bradfield – a target of the teal movement at this year’s federal election – defeating conservative Indigenous figure Nyunggai Warren Mundine in a keenly awaited ballot.

Kapterian, who had the support of party moderates, won a majority in the first round of voting, gaining just over 200 votes to Mundine’s 170, while cardiologist Michael Feneley received 16.

It means the former trade lawyer and senior staffer to Julie Bishop and Michaelia Cash will run as the Liberal candidate against independent challenger Nicolette Boele, who is backed by the teal funding vehicle Climate 200.

The teals are confident of winning Bradfield, a seat held by retiring Liberal MP Paul Fletcher, making it crucial to Peter Dutton’s chances of winning the election due by May. Bradfield covers a wealthy area of Sydney’s north shore, including St Ives and Chatswood.

The preselection race had become a test of the influence of the right-wing establishment within local Liberal branches in blue-ribbon party territory. Former prime minister Tony Abbott and popular frontbencher Jacinta Nampijinpa Price both lobbied members to pick Mundine, a strident conservative who has recently called for a rethink on Indigenous Welcome to Country ceremonies.

Loading

Mundine’s opponents were worried that his candidacy would result in the Liberals losing the seat because his conservative views, and advocacy against the Voice to parliament, may have jarred with voters in the only Liberal seat that voted in favour of the Voice referendum question in 2023.

Kapterian has long been touted as a parliamentary candidate. She attracted most of her backers from the moderate wing of the party, though her commanding win indicates she also won a substantial number of right-wing votes.

A series of heavy-hitters, including former NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian and previous treasurer Joe Hockey, had supported Kapterian, who works at tech firm Salesforce. Deputy Liberal leader Sussan Ley also threw her weight behind Kapterian.