 Zammit attracted criticism for announcing that he would seek Liberal pre-selection for Lowe a day after he had been re-elected in Strathfield.It had been understood that he would serve as the member for Strathfield for the full term.In 1998, Zammit resigned from the Liberal Party, citing dissatisfaction with the way the Howard Government was dealing with the problem of aircraft noise, and contested the seat at the 1998 election as an Independent.