Melbourne’s Kooyong electorate, a leafy bastion of old money and Liberal loyalty, has been flipped upside down again. On April 16, 2025, Teal independent Monique Ryan cemented her grip on the seat, fending off a second Liberal rival in a victory that’s got the political class buzzing. This isn’t just a win—it’s a statement. Ryan, a pediatric neurologist turned political firebrand, has now outmuscled two Liberal heavyweights in a row, proving she’s no fluke.
The numbers don’t lie. With 60% of votes tallied by the Australian Electoral Commission, Ryan was projected to clinch 55.8% of the two-party-preferred vote. Her opponent, Liberal candidate Amelia Hamer, trailed at 44.2%—a gap wide enough to call it a rout. Compared to Ryan’s 2022 squeaker of a win, this was a 3.3% swing in her favor, a clear sign voters in Kooyong aren’t just flirting with change—they’re doubling down.
Ryan’s campaign leaned hard on her outsider status. A former doctor with no political baggage, she’s pitched herself as the voice of a fed-up electorate, hammering climate action and integrity in government. Kooyong, once a Liberal stronghold held by titans like Robert Menzies, has been slipping from the party’s grasp, and Ryan’s latest triumph shows the Teal wave isn’t fading. On election night, she stood with her family, beaming, as supporters chanted her name. The mood was electric, a mix of relief and defiance.
Hamer, the Liberal hopeful, wasn’t a pushover. Young, polished, and backed by the party’s machine, she came out swinging, banking on Kooyong’s conservative roots. But Ryan’s grassroots army—volunteers knocking on doors, local forums packed with voters—proved too much. The crossbench, where Ryan sits with other independents, is now eyeing her win as a blueprint. She’s already talking big, saying the Teals could hold their ground or even grow their ranks.
This wasn’t just a local scrap. Kooyong’s result is a gut-punch to the Liberals, who’ve lost the seat twice now to a movement that’s rewriting Australia’s political map. Ryan’s victory on April 16 wasn’t official until the final count, but the writing was on the wall early. The AEC’s projections held firm, and by the time the dust settled, Ryan had secured her place as Kooyong’s MP for another term.
The facts are stark: Ryan won with 55.8% of the two-party-preferred vote, Hamer took 44.2%, and the swing to Ryan was 3.3% since 2022. Kooyong, a seat of 88,000 voters, saw heavy turnout, with 60% of ballots counted by the AEC on election night.