Former Australian speaker could potentially be unseated by businessman Dick Smith, and many believe she should retire

This article is more than 4 years old

This article is more than 4 years old

Firm blue-ribbon ground of Mackellar under Bronwyn Bishop starts to crack Read more

The former speaker Bronwyn Bishop is facing electoral annihilation in her New South Wales seat of Mackellar and could potentially be unseated by the businessman Dick Smith, a new poll shows.

In a survey conducted for News Corp, 21% of those polled said they would give their primary vote for Bishop, while 69% believed she should retire.

In contrast, 54% said they would give Dick Smith their primary vote if he contested the election, according to the MediaReach poll of 877 people in Mackellar on Monday.

Bishop resigned as federal speaker after a travel-entitlements scandal sparked by her $5000 taxpayer-funded helicopter flight from Melbourne to Geelong to attend a Liberal party function.

Smith has threatened to run as an independent in Bishop’s north Sydney electorate – which is a Liberal stronghold – if the former speaker is preselected.

In the MediaReach poll, 52% said they would vote Liberal if Bishop was not running, while 18% said they would be less likely to vote Liberal without her.

Bronwyn Bishop will not face charges over helicopter flights Read more

The former speaker is due to face a preselection ballot in Mackellar on April 16.

Her main challengers will be the Liberal staffer Jason Falinski, who has strong factional support, and Walter Villatora, who has letters of support from the NSW Premier, Mike Baird, and the former prime minister Tony Abbott.