Hannah Ferguson, the founder and CEO of Cheek Media, has announced she will contest Prime Minister Anthony Albanese for his Inner West Sydney seat of Grayndler at the next federal election.
Local challenger with deep roots
Ferguson, who was born in the suburb of Marrickville within the electorate, launched her campaign on Monday. Albanese has held Grayndler for over 30 years, first winning it in March 1996 — two years before Ferguson was born.
Appearing on Sunrise, Ferguson said she hopes her local history and connection with younger voters can help overcome Albanese's advantage. "I live in Grayndler, it's my home electorate, it's where I was born," she said. "He's been a member for 30 years and I feel like as a young person in Australia that I do not feel represented at a local level by him."
Criticism of political system
Ferguson argued Australians are disillusioned with a "broken political system" and said her challenge reflects that frustration. "This is about communicating that Australians are frustrated, that we deserve better," she said. She called for more people to stand up and challenge figures like the Prime Minister, accusing Albanese of failing the area.
She also targeted Albanese over controversies, including a recent donor dinner at a $40 million harbourside home, describing Australian of the Year Grace Tame as "difficult", and labelling independent senator David Pocock as a "grievance politician". However, she stopped short of repeating her earlier description of the Prime Minister as a "bootlicker", which she used in a February social media video.
Policy focus and electoral challenge
Ferguson said her main policy points will focus on gas exports, taxation, and gambling. She faces a difficult contest: in the 2025 election, Albanese retained the seat with more than twice the first preference votes of the Greens candidate Hannah Thomas. He has won more than half of Grayndler votes in all but four of the 11 federal elections he has contested.
