Hannah Ferguson, founder of the left-wing media company Cheek Media, announced Monday she will run for the lower house seat of Grayndler in Australia's next federal election, challenging Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in his long-held electorate.
Ferguson, 28, confirmed reports that she would contest the inner-west Sydney seat as an independent. She has begun holding community engagement events to understand local needs, stating, "I believe we deserve better representation."
"I'm not here to play politics, that is just another reason Australians are fed up with the political party machinery," Ferguson wrote online. "My intention is to keep running local events, keep listening to feedback and to keep learning from my community."
Albanese has represented Grayndler, a Labor stronghold since its formation in 1949, since 1996. He secured 66 percent of the vote in the seat during the 2025 election.
To focus on her campaign, Ferguson plans to temporarily step back from Cheek Media next year, where she has been working for the past six years. She had previously expressed interest in entering politics during an address to the National Press Club last year, initially considering a NSW Senate seat before opting for a lower house position as more achievable for the next election, which is due by May 2028.
Ferguson stated last week that her candidacy is not an attempt to "topple the prime minister" but rather a challenge to the political system he represents. "This is not a direct personal attack on him, but he is a representative and part of that system that I think needs to be challenged," she told the Australian Financial Review.
Ferguson has previously criticized Albanese's stance on issues such as online gambling advertising and a proposed 25 percent tax on gas exports. She has also publicly criticized the prime minister's remarks about former Australian of the Year Grace Tame.
Ferguson suggested that Albanese's shift from left-leaning policies to more centrist positions could impact his popularity in Grayndler. "I think we need to be existing in this kind of mentality now in Australian politics that no seat is safe," she said. "That is the superpower I have, wanting to consistently hear from people who may think that I have wild views – but actually, I want to talk about practical reality. I think that the major parties are letting us down, and there needs to be alternates that aren't One Nation."