Zali Steggall OAM is the Independent Federal Member for the seat of Warringah in Sydney’s North. A professional sportsperson, representing Australia at four Winter Olympic Games, her first at just 17 and winning Australia’s first ever individual medal at the Winter Olympics in 1998, followed by Australia’s first and only World Championship alpine skiing gold medal Vail in 1999, she went on to practice as a barrister in areas of commercial, family and sports law for more than a decade.
Combining her legal and sporting experience and passion for integrity, she attended a fifth Olympics in 2018 in Pyeongchang as a member of the International Court of Arbitration for Sport.
With extensive business and leadership experience at board level, determined to help shift Australian politics to being more community representative and tackle big issues like climate risks, Zali contested the Federal Parliamentary Seat of Warringah as an Independent Candidate in 2019. The seat had been held for nearly 25 years by former Prime Minister The Hon. Tony Abbott. In 2022, Zali retained the seat for a second term with an increased margin and has continued to drive positive change in Australian politics.
“I was born in Manly, in 1974, but my family moved to France when I was four. My parents planned to stay in France only briefly but loved it so much we stayed, and I was lucky enough to spend much of my childhood there. So, I grew up learning to ski the French Alps and started winning European ski championships when I was quite young.
“I loved the thrill of downhill racing: the speed, agility, smell of clean air mixed with the aroma of the firs and conifers on the woodland runs. That love never really left me, and when I returned to Manly as a teenager, we kept going back to Europe to ski and train.
“But I loved both worlds – the snow and ice and the surf and sun. Warringah is home to the best waterways in the world with their ever-changing blues, greens and turquoises. Then there’s the surf, soft sand, busy crowds speaking all the languages on earth, the exquisite cafes and that quintessential Australian institution, Nippers; teaching young kids how to be safe and enjoy the Aussie beach.
“Some people don’t connect skiing to Australia. But there is nothing like the beauty of skiing among the snow-gums of the Snowy Mountains. It’s a contrast to the firs of the Morzine in France. The smells, wildlife and bushland are so different yet just as beautiful.
“I first represented Australia at skiing in the Olympic Games in the 1992 Winter Olympics as a 17 year old student. It was thrilling to do something I was good at and proudly represent Australia.
“But it wasn’t easy. My Olympic successes were hard won, something people don’t often see.
“Yes, my father and grandfather were athletes playing for the Wallabies and at premiership level respectively. My parents are passionate about embracing opportunities and gave us opportunities to compete and prepare well for that competition – creating a sense that training for a demanding physical goal is completely normal. But the real advantage of that childhood was the resilience and determination it taught me.
“You have to learn how to lose without giving in to losing. You learn more from the races you lose. You learn to identify your mistakes and find every extra 1%.
“I learnt to not just accept but create energy out of being the underdog as an Australian competing around the world in winter sport, away from support and a home crowd advantage. And being the underdog has been key to my determination in professional life and other aspects of my life too. Too often, we focus on the outcome when the real opportunities and learnings are through the journey. How you win matters as much as winning.
“As a barrister, no matter how well you prepare a case, you can win or lose. That happens publicly, in a courtroom full of people. You have to always be satisfied that you gave it your best and be open to learning how to do things better. Move on, take on the next case with an open mind and positivity so that you can serve your next client.
“Despite my love of skiing, in my thirties I gradually transitioned into committing to participating in a number of sporting events to stay fit and accountable to my training throughout the year. So I did ocean swims, half marathons and bike rides. Then I had a go at triathlons, typically events involving, say, swimming up to two kilometres, then bike riding for 40 kilometres, and finishing with a 10-kilometre run.
“They are as arduous and challenging as skiing, although very different.
“I found the training and competition itself a little easier to fit around career and family. And it can be done outside winter and in a wider range of environments. I joined training groups and met people who live in my community and care for it as much as I do, so the camaraderie was very satisfying.
“By my late 30s I was competing in, for example, the Noosa Triathlon. But I found myself drawn in a new direction when trail running came onto my radar.
I find running in nature on the trails really rewarding for my mental health and getting away from my busy life. It’s my active mindfulness.
“I gradually committed to ultra-marathon running. It’s gruelling. You have to train hard, learn how to prepare and learn more than you ever thought you’d need to know about your vulnerabilities and weaknesses. Everyone is a bit vulnerable out there, you really find out what you’re made of. Ultras demand respect because you have no hope of finishing unless you have put in the work.
“Few people understand the enjoyment and satisfaction I get from doing both the training and the events.
“At first ultra trail running was very daunting. It requires methodical and consistent planning, over at least four months.
“In the beginning I’d ask ‘How can I possibly do 100kms? How can I last?’ To be honest, that anxiety is always there at the start of every ultra, even now – but once I get a few kilometres in, because of the endorphins the body naturally releases with running, I find myself carried into it. You don’t focus on the big picture, just the section you are in, when you break down a big challenge into bite sized chunks, it is very achievable.
“The distances – 100kms, 145kms, even 50kms, are extraordinary. So, in my younger life I competed in races that could be as short as 50 seconds per run, but now in races that go for up to 30 hours, through the night with very limited stops.
By 2017 I was training for the 50km Kedumba Ultra Trail Australia, run in the Blue Mountains. You run out beyond classic Katoomba tourist sites, such as Scenic World, past the Three Sisters, up to the Prince Henry Cliff Walk, through the Dardanelles Pass, down stairs and up again, and then way beyond. Inevitably, parts of the ‘run’ will involve barely inching along.
But I love being on the trails, out in nature, away from the noise and distractions of home and work. It’s the fresh air, the silence, the wildlife. Extreme forest bathing. I get time to process and think about work, I will often workshop questions for question time or think of an argument or way to progress an issue.
I love the community around trail running. You’re not competing quite so intensely against others on the trail, it’s more about competing against yourself. So, it’s very collegiate and inclusive.
You meet adventurous like-minded people and the conversations and support that happen when you’re struggling on the trail are heart-warming. You see humanity at its best.
“And you meet the complete cross-section of life. Trail runners come in all ages, all abilities. You could be running next to a carpenter, a nurse, a teacher, a lawyer, someone much younger than you or someone older.
In 2019 I trained for the Traces des Ducs de Savoie (TDS) a 145km ultra trail run that covers 9100 metres of elevation, from Italy to France. It was scheduled for August 28-29.
But of course, there was another completely unrelated challenge to deal with before that one, in May that year with my first election. A couple of days after deciding to run in Warringah to run as the Independent candidate in the 2019 election, I was also successful in the ballot to compete in the UTMB TDS race in August 2019.
Like my ultras, jumping into politics was a challenge but I knew I had to take it on. After all, the country’s most vocal climate change denier, who happened to be our Prime Minister, had to be called out.
It wasn’t personal, it was just very, very necessary to start changing the tone in parliament, get more women at the table and focus on policies and people, and less on politics for power.
I was elected as the member for Warringah in May that year.
In August, the mountains chewed me up and at 112kms, after 32 hours and 7,500m of elevation I had to stop. I went back in 2024 but had to again DNF as 33 degree heat cooked me on the steepest climb.
Each DNF has taught me some important lessons and I will be back to tackle the European mountains!
Meanwhile, I finished the Kosciuszko 100km in November 2024 on the back of a big parliamentary fortnight and have now signed up for the Kosci 100 mile (168km) race in November 2025. I love a challenge!
My passion for trail running is helped by the fact that I have an incredibly supportive partner who doesn’t mind too much following me around random mountains for hours, only to see me for three minutes when he force-feeds me a bit of soup, changes my muddy socks, and pushes me back into the darkness and the trails, only to do it all again in another few hours.
“I reckon I’ll still be trail running for a few more years yet – no doubt at times getting collected by the sweepers but absolutely loving every second of it.
Each time, it’s a win against yourself!
And in the case of the coming election, I never take a win for granted, I’ll be fighting hard for it as I have learned from sport, focus on what you can control, and do the work, then the result will come.
