Election 2025: Party’s over for the Greens as Anzac Day rave gets shut down

Politics in the pub is one thing, a five hour dance party on Anzac Day is another. As the Greens have learnt by cancelling their planned rave fundraiser on our nation’s most solemn day.

Greens leader Adam Bandt performs a DJ set with influencer Abbie Chatfield in Melbourne. Picture: NewsWire/ Nadir Kinani

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The Greens have been forced to cancel a planned Anzac Day rave party after leader Adam Bandt refused to answer questions about the fundraiser on Tuesday.

The WA branch of the minor party organised the “Greens Party Party” dance event to be held in a small Perth bar and tattoo parlour on April 25.

In a bid to oust the federal representative for Perth and Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister Patrick Gorman, the Greens WA were selling tickets to the music event starting at $30 and asking for donations of up to $1000.

“Join us for a night with the dancefloor becomes the platform for radical change,” the advertisement, posted on social media six days ago, stated. “Your moves matter – on the floor and at the polls … Want change? Tonight let’s dance for it.”

Six musicians and DJs were set to perform at the party slated to commence at 6pm on the Anzac Day public holiday to raise funds for the campaigns of the Greens candidate for Perth Sophie Greer and WA Senator Jordan Steele-John.

Greens candidate for Perth Sophie Greer will be attending an Anzac Day ceremony Picture: Colin Murty

The Greens federal leader was not aware of what his colleagues were planning before the event was cancelled.

“I don’t know about that,” Adam Bandt said while campaigning in the Greens-held seat of Griffith in Brisbane on Tuesday.

He then deferred to his spokeswoman who said the fundraiser was a matter for the party, not Mr Bandt, and said he would not be expressing an opinion about it.

The dance party in Perth follows a similar fundraising event last month hosted by Mr Bandt where he performed a DJ set alongside media personality – and prominent Greens supporter – Abbie Chatfield.

Mr Gorman said the “outrageous” event was one of “the worst judgments” he has ever seen in politics.

The Greens Party announcement that has since been cancelled.

“The Perth Greens Party candidate should reject this money,” Mr Gorman said.

Both Anthony Albanese and Peter Dutton are expected to mark Anzac Day by paying their respects at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra.

Instead of preparing to dance the night away, Ms Greer will attend an Anzac Day service.

“The event originally scheduled for April 25 has been rescheduled. Sophie Greer will attend an Anzac Day service on that day, and she was always intending to do,” Greens WA co-convener Chilla Bulbeck told The Australian on Tuesday.

A Greens WA spokeswoman was unable to answer questions from The Australian about sales and potential refunds or reallocation of tickets on Tuesday.

The promotion of the event has been removed from social media.

Mr Dutton said the concept of hosting a party on Anzac Day was “completely inappropriate and reflects the values of the Greens,” the Opposition Leader said.

“To every young Australian who’s proud of their grandfather who fought in the war, proud of a cousin who is serving in the Australian Defence Force now, understand the Greens have complete contempt for our Defence Force personnel.”

Mr Albanese stopped short of condemning the actions of the minor party, instead reminding Australians that Anzac Day was “a day of respect for the men and women who make the ultimate sacrifice,” the prime minister said. “It should not be business as usual.”

RLS WA president Duncan Anderson said he was supportive of Australians coming together in whatever way they choose including a rave, but he took issue with the purpose of this event to raise funds for a political campaign.

“People are going to come together on Anzac Day and commemorate and participate in the community however they wish,” Mr Anderson said. “The challenge with this is, the purpose of this event is to raise money for an individual for political gain.”

Mr Gorman comfortably holds the Perth seat after securing a 5.7 per cent swing at the 2022 poll.

RSL WA president Duncan Anderson is supportive of a rave on Anzac Day but not for political purposes.

Senator Steele-John’s term is set to expire on June 30.

Last year the WA senator refused to support a motion in the upper house moved by Tasmanian Senator (and army veteran) Jacqui Lambie to condemn the vandals who desecrated a number of shrines at the Australian War Memorial.

The Australian National Korean War Memorial, Australian Vietnam Forces National Memorial and the Australian Army National Memorial were graffitied with pro-Palestine messages. It was the second time in as many months the Vietnam War memorial in Canberra was defaced.

At the time, Senator Steele-John would not support Senator Lambie’s motion as war memorials, he said, were “not politically neutral spaces”, adding that “painting is a form of free speech”.

Mr Bandt added: “The prime minister and the leader of the opposition today were more agitated about graffiti than they have been about the slaughter of people in Gaza.”