Zammit was born into the Maltese-Egyptian community in Alexandria, Egypt, the son of a Maltese father and a Greek mother.
He and his family migrated to Australia in 1955, aboard SS Strathnaver, and settled in the Sydney suburb of Punchbowl.
[2] In 1996, Zammit stepped down from state parliament to contest the federal Division of Lowe, which he won.
Zammit attracted criticism for announcing that he would seek Liberal pre-selection for Lowe a day after he had been re-elected in Strathfield.
In 1998, Zammit resigned from the Liberal Party, citing dissatisfaction with the way the Howard government was dealing with the problem of aircraft noise,[3] and contested the seat at the 1998 election as an Independent.