Midwinter Ball: Anthony Albanese and Australian politicians dress up for glamorous event in Canberra
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Politicians in Canberra rarely see eye to eye – but it was a different story on Wednesday night as they posed for photos together at the annual Midwinter Ball.
Regarded as the biggest social event of the year in the nation’s capital, guests arrived dressed to the nines for a night of letting their hair down.
Because of Covid cancellations, this is the first Midwinter Ball since 2019.
A slimmed-down Anthony Albanese arrived with his girlfriend Jodie Haydon in head-to-toe sequins.
The ball, where MPs and senators try to disprove the theory that politics is show business for ugly people, started in 2000 and is hosted by the Federal Parliamentary Press Gallery.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (left) and his partner Jodie Haydon (right) looked very glamorous as they arrived for the Midwinter ball in Canberra
Australia’s first couple switched sides and held hands for a another picture of them at the ball
Federal Treasurer Jim Chalmers and his wife Laura are pictured during the Federal Parliamentary Press Gallery in Canberra
It often courts controversy, though, and this year is no different.
Outspoken Greens senator Lidia Thorpe, who did not get a ticket to the ball, stormed down the marble stairs in blue jeans and an Aboriginal flag t-shirt repeatedly screaming ‘fossil fools’ and extending her middle fingers to the assembled guests.
Her colleague Sarah Hanson-Young arrived wearing a long white dress with ‘End gas and coal’ written on the back of it.
Sarah Hanson-Young makes a showcase entrance to the Midwinter Ball with a long white dress decorated with a call to ‘end gas and coal’
Sarah Hanson-Young’s floor length dress also features environmental slogans when seen from the front
Senator Dorinda Cox, Greens Leader Adam Bandt, partner Claudia Perkins and Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young are pictured at the Midwinter Ball in Canberra
Ms Thorpe later reappeared shouting ‘stop destroying the planet… criminals’.
Her boss, Greens MP Adam Bandt and his partner Claudia Perkins also caused a stir.
In the past, Ms Perkins had ‘coal kills’ shaved into her head, on Wednesday night she had that slogan and also ‘gas kills’ written in black and red all over her otherwise white dress.
On Wednesday night she said ‘I think given we’re in a climate crisis it’s really appalling that Labor is exploring 114 new gas projects, and we wanted to make that point to as many people as possible at once.’
Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Treasurer Jim Chalmers stayed outside mingling with the crowd until the event was about to begin.
But then Mr Chalmers and the others moved away and Ms Wong was left to face half a dozen photographers alone.
She was a good sport but found the attention progressively more awkward.
‘I can’t believe you’re all taking photos of me by myself. “Oh look, poor Penny Wong at the party all by herself with no friends and a busted shoulder,”‘ she said.
Then she added ‘OK can we stop this now, it’s so weird.’
All the while Mr Chalmers was laughing along at the bizarre scene just a metre away.
Liberal Senator David Van (right) is pictured with his partner Nerilee Rockman arriving at the Midwinter Ball in the Great Hall at Parliament House in Canberra, Wednesday, September 7, 2022
Pictured left to right are Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth, SA Premier Peter Malinauskas, Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles, Finn McCarthy and his partner, Aged Care Minister Anika Wells pose at the 2022 Midwinter Ball in Canberra
Indigenous Australians Minister Linda Burney (right) poses alongside Bree Coggan, who works at the Department of Agriculture
Ms Wong said her shoulder was feeling much better after she damaged ligaments when a surfboard smashed into her shoulder at a beach while on a family holiday days before the opening of parliament in July.
There was a minor kerfuffle when, just after 8pm the Senate bells rang and Ms Wong and a dozen others had to bolt out of the party to the chamber, striding in wearing glittering ball gowns and tuxedos.
Mercifully, they were able to turn around and go back seconds after arriving as it turned out to be a quorum and they only needed to be present for an instant.
Finance Minister Katy Gallagher (left) is pictured in a fetching gown and Treasurer Jim Chalmers (right) in a classic black suit at the Midwinter Ball
Foreign Minister Penny Wong is all in black and all smiles at the glitzy ball in Canberra
Penny Wong (left) poses for a photo with fellow Labor politicians Katy Gallagher and Jim Chalmers. Mr Chalmers wife Laura is pictured beside him in an off the shoulder red number
Numerous guests have noted the beer and sparkling wine was flat and unpleasantly lukewarm both outside in the lobby and inside the ball.
Anthony Albanese and Opposition leader Peter Dutton both briefly posed for photos then quickly blitzed through the crowd to join the festivities.
On the VIP tables, Mr Albanese and Ms Haydon will be joined by Senate president Sue Lines, Ukraine’s ambassador to Australia Vasyl Myroshnychenko and his wife Liana and a number of other guests.
On the other VIP table, Mr Dutton and his wife Kirilly are being joined by Nationals leader David Littleproud and partner Amelia Dobson.
Mr Littleproud and Ms Dobson arrived early, before almost all his colleagues, in what is believed to be their first official event together.
An awkward error on the seating plan listed Ms Dobson as ‘Amelia Littleproud’ despite the absence of a ring on either of their fingers.
Mr Littleproud found love with the glamorous bank executive just months after splitting with his wife.
The last time the ball was held, in 2019, was in the before times, when Covid didn’t exist.
The Qantas table at that do, saw its CEO Alan Joyce (who isn’t at tonight’s event) playing host to a then little known British politician called Liz Truss.
This week, Ms Truss was sworn in as the UK’s new prime minister.
Traditionally held in the third week of June each year, but delayed this year until spring because of the Federal Election held in May, the ball brings together the journalistic, political and corporate chiefs of Australia.
With corporate sponsorship and an online auction, the ball has raised $4,453,000 for charity to date.
More to come.