Election 2016: Tony Abbott claims victory in Warringah despite swing against him

Former prime minister Tony Abbott has retained his Sydney seat of Warringah, despite a swing against him and a high-profile run from television personality James Mathison.

Mr Abbott has garnered around 62 percent of the vote on a two-party party preferred basis, a negative swing 3.2 percent.

Mr Abbott, 58, suffered a swing of nine percent against him on first preference votes.

He had won the seat in at the 2013 election by a margin of 15.4 percent, and has held the seat on Sydney’s northern beaches since 1994.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, who deposed Mr Abbott in a party room coup last year, has already indicated there will be no room for the former leader in a Coalition cabinet if the government is re-elected.

The affluent and historically safe Liberal seat includes the beachside suburbs of Manly, Mosman, Neutral Bay, Queenscliff and Curl Curl.

Labor candidate Andrew Woodward, a local corporate marketing consultant, placed in second with just under 38 percent of the vote on preferences.

Former Australian Idol host and music journalist Mr Mathison, 38, contested the seat as an independent.

The father-of-two campaigned on a platform aimed at younger voters, with his stance on the environment, mental health, climate change and the more humane treatment of people in detention all highlighted as points of difference to the major parties.

Mr Mathison won around 11 percent of first preference votes.