Warringah candidates Tony Abbott and Zali Steggall (Image: AAP/Peter Rae)

Crikey today announces a news bureau, headed by staff reporter Charlie Lewis, to cover one of the biggest conflicts in recent Australian political history.

Coinciding with the launch of the federal election campaign, Crikey‘s Warringah Bureau will operate from the centre of Manly, at heart of the electoral war zone, and will cover the full, bloody campaign for Tony Abbott’s hotly contested federal electorate.

As bureau chief, Lewis will be responsible for providing balanced coverage of every aspect of the fight for Warringah: news, interviews, analysis and a frontline insider’s account of what is shaping up as a crucial flank in the government’s federal election battle.

“For good or, frequently, for ill, Tony Abbott is as influential a politician as this country has had in the past 10 years,” says Lewis.

“In 2019, he is facing the greatest danger of losing the seat he’s held for 25 years; the significance for the Liberal Party, and for Australian politics is huge. I’m thrilled to get the chance to chronicle the fight for Warringah.”

His first dispatch from Warringah will appear on Monday in Crikey.

Checking the facts this election

Alongside Lewis’ dispatches, the rest of the election campaign will rage on with all its claims and counter-claims.

To help Crikey readers sort through the muck, we’ve partnered with RMIT ABC Fact Check who expertly and thoroughly determine the accuracy of claims by politicians and public figures.

You can read more about their process here. 

Rounding out Crikey‘s election coverage are our regular commentators Bernard Keane, Guy Rundle and Helen Razer along with resident psephologist William Bowe.