Former prime minister Tony Abbott has lost his northern beaches seat of Warringah to independent Zali Steggall with Labor calling the Sydney result a "slaughter".
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The ex-Liberal leader held Warringah for 24 years but early counting on Saturday night indicated he was going to be toppled by ex-Olympic skier turned barrister Zali Steggall.
With 20 per cent of the vote counted at 7.30pm, Mr Abbott had just 37 per cent of the primary vote, compared with Ms Steggall who had 45 per cent of first preference votes.
ABC election analyst Antony Green called the seat for the independent Ms Steggall who had 59 per cent of the vote on a two-party preferred basis.
"Tony Abbott is not going to win if those are the first preferences," he said.
Mr Abbott's former chief of staff, Peta Credlin, told Sky News: "I would have thought it would be a little bit tighter than this - it looks like it's real trouble."
Mr Abbott's former deputy, Julie Bishop, described the result as "sad" but noted the former PM didn't match up with his constituents on climate change and same-sex marriage.
"The Liberal Party will have to reassess its position on climate change," she told Nine News.
"It will have to end the uncertainty and the national energy guarantee was the closest thing we had to a bipartisan position."
Labor frontbencher Anthony Albanese told Nine News "this is a slaughter".
"It's probably a good thing for the Liberal Party that Tony Abbott is not in the caucus room," he said.
Mr Abbott's supporters were subdued as they trickled in to to the Manly Leagues Club's Encores Room.
Media were locked out of the former prime minister's election night function and told they'd only be briefly allowed in to record his speech.
By way of contrast, Ms Steggall arrived to a rockstar reception at the Novotel hotel in Manly.
Ms Steggall described the night as "a referendum for Warringah".
"We've worked very hard for the past four months to make this happen - I think it's democracy," she told reporters.
"Politics in Australia has not been at its best for the past 10 years and it's time we changed that. I really take that on board and I take great responsibility for that."
Australian Associated Press