Liberal candidate Giselse Kapterian has narrowly won the seat of Bradfield on Sydney’s north shore, defeating independent Nicolette Boele by just a few hundred votes.
Backed by the Climate 200 group, Boele was making her second attempt to claim the historically safe Liberal seat left open by retiring MP Paul Fletcher. While early results showed her in a strong position, a late shift in votes favored Kapterian, ultimately securing her the win.
Boele, who came close to winning in 2022, had been campaigning for three years to capture the seat. In the immediate aftermath of the election, the tight margin—hovering around the Australian Electoral Commission’s 100-vote threshold for a recount—made a second count seem likely. However, with only around 1,000 votes remaining, ABC analyst Anthony Green projected Kapterian’s victory, with her lead standing at 219 votes.
With this result, the Liberal Party now holds just five seats in Greater Sydney and seven out of 46 federal electorates in New South Wales. The Coalition is expected to control at least 41 seats in the upcoming parliament, as several contests remain too close to call. Despite the outcome, neither Kapterian nor Boele has officially declared victory or conceded.
Though Boele lost, she achieved a 2.5 per cent swing in her favor, making the contest even tighter than in 2022. Her campaign was supported by the Climate 200 group, which backs various teal independents nationally. Prior to her political pursuits, Boele worked in clean energy and climate change policy, and spent the last decade in responsible investment leadership roles.
Kapterian entered the Bradfield race after initially being preselected for North Sydney, overcoming rival Warren Mundine, who had strong conservative backing, including support from Tony Abbott. Before politics, she had a notable legal career, which included prosecuting war crimes in Ethiopia and working in international trade in London and Geneva.
Bradfield was long regarded as a safe Liberal stronghold until recent years, when growing support for independents reshaped the political landscape on Sydney’s north shore.
