It was the early 1990s when Kylea Tink first learnt how to manage sensitive stakeholder relations in Canberra. Decades before she became a teal independent MP, the girl from the regional NSW town of Coonabarabran was studying at Australian National University and working at the Private Bin nightclub on Northbourne Avenue, in the centre of town.

Tink quickly discovered that ensuring everyone had a good time required keeping rival constituencies separated inside the infamous nightspot. She never had the Defence Force Academy boys in on the same night as the Duntroon crew, always keeping the Brumbies fans apart from supporters of whatever team they were playing that week.