Steggall is Australia's most 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, first female medallist, and only medallist in alpine skiing. 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.[1] 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.[2][3] Her parents had intended to stay for only 18 months, but they liked the lifestyle so much that they stayed.[4] Her mother, Dr. Susan Steggall, documented these ten years in the book Alpine Beach. A Family Adventure.[5]
Steggall won European age championships at the ages of 10 and 13,[4] and was a member of the French junior skiing team at the age of 14.[6] Steggall was educated for 18 months in Sydney at Queenwood School for Girls following the family's return to Australia in 1989.
Despite moving back to Australia, the Steggall siblings regularly travelled to the northern hemisphere to train.[4] She was also sent overseas by the Australian Ski Institute to train under Austrian alpine coach Helmut Spiegl.[9]
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.[10] 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.[11]
In December 1995, Steggall broke into the top 10 in a World Cup event for the first time, placing 10th in the slalom event at Sankt Anton.[12] In January 1996, Steggall came fourth at the World Championships in Sestriere, Italy, missing bronze by just 0.04 s.[4]
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 0.76sec.[4] She then came fifth, sixth and tenth in the next three World Cup events to be ranked sixth in the world.[13] Steggall won a Europa Cup event at Piancavallo.[4] She won Australia's first individual Winter Olympic medal with a bronze in slalom skiing at Nagano in 1998.[4] Her time of 1 m 32.67 s was 0.27 s behind the winner.[14] In December, Steggall placed second in a World Cup event at Mammoth Mountain, missing the gold medal by 0.01 s to Anja Pärson. She had earlier placed seventh at Park City.[12]
Steggall's success prompted the Australian Olympic Committee to expand the Australian Ski Institute into the Olympic Winter Institute of Australia.[6] 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.[6]
In 1999, Steggall won the slalom event at the World Championships held in Vail, Colorado, in the United States,[4] her last podium finish at a global level. In February 2000, she came 10th at Aare, Sweden, the last top 10 result in her career.[12]
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.[16] In 2004, she was part of the Athens Olympic torch relay, carrying the Olympic flame to the top of the Sydney Harbour Bridge.[17]
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, Roper & Steggall, 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, commercial law, real-property law, local government and planning law, corporations and insolvency law, and equity. Steggall was councillor to the NSW Bar Association and chair of its Health, Sports, and Recreation Committee from 2010 to 2013.[18]
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.[18][19] In 2014, Steggall became a member of the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Agency (ASADA) Anti-Doping Rule Violation Panel.[18] She was appointed an arbitrator of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in January 2017.[18] 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.[18][20]
Steggall (rightmost) in 2020 with Climate activists in her electorate office
Steggall (centre) at the National Climate Emergency Summit in Melbourne in 2020, with John Hewson (left) and Peter Garrett (right)
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 campaign.[22][16] Steggall also stated that she would advocate for changes in electoral laws, to mandate a "minimum standard of truth" in political advertising.[22] On 2 May, Steggall and Abbott participated in a televised debate in front of a live audience of voters.[23] During the debate, Steggall stated she opposed the franking credit reform being proposed by Labor at that election.[23]
Steggall raised $1.1 million AUD in funding for her campaign from 1378 donors.[24] This was the most funding of any independent candidate at the 2019 election, and the highest number of individual donors of any campaign.[24] $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.[25]
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%.[26] 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 over 4,100 votes behind Steggall on the first preference count.[27] 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.[28] 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.[29]
Member of Parliament (2019-)
Foreign policy
In March 2021, Steggall joined the "Bring Julian Assange Home" parliamentary group.[30]
In November 2021, Steggall stated that she did not support Australia's diplomatic boycott of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.[31]
2022 federal election
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".[32] Steggall criticised 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".[32] Steggall also criticised Deves' campaign for hiring the wife of Steggall's ex-husband, calling this "low and vindictive" behaviour.[33] On 6 May, posters were placed around the electorate that falsely claimed Steggall to be a member of the Australian Greens.[34] Similar incidents also occurred targeting fellow independent candidates Sophie Scamps (Mackellar) and Georgia Steele (Hughes).[34]
Steggall received $25,000 AUD in funding from Climate 200 for her campaign.[35]
Steggall retained her seat in the 2022 federal election, defeating Deves.[36] Steggall increased her margin at this election by 3.72% on a two-party preferred basis.[37]
Indigenous Voice to Parliament
Steggall supported the Yes vote in the unsuccessful October 2023 Australian Indigenous Voice referendum, and took part in a 'Run for the Voice' event to promote the Yes campaign.[38] Steggall stated that she was "gutted" that the referendum did not succeed.[39]
Tax policy
In August 2023, Steggall stated her support for measures that prevented large multinational companies evading tax.[40]
In January 2024, Steggall stated that Anthony Albanese should apologise for making changes to the planned stage three tax cuts.[41]
Personal life
Steggall was married to Olympic rower David Cameron from 1999 until their separation in 2006. They have two children from their marriage.[42]
In 2007, her relationship with marketing executive Tim Irving was made public,[43] and the couple became engaged in June 2008 and married later that year.[44]
^"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.
^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.
^"Zali finds new love". The Daily Telegraph. 9 July 2007. Archived from the original on 24 September 2020. Retrieved 13 June 2009. The snowbunny is now back on good terms with her ex – elite rower David Cameron – with whom she separated out of the blue last October after seven years of marriage.
