SA Liberal ‘dinner for 700 sends wrong Covid message’
SA Libs slammed for holding 700-strong dinner in same week as limits reintroduced for funerals, weddings.
SA Liberals are under fire for holding a 700-strong dinner for its state women’s council in an exclusive function room at Adelaide Oval in the same week as the state government reintroduced limits on funerals and weddings and a 10-person cap on visitors to private homes.
Sources told The Australian there was “genuine outrage” that the party would send such mixed messages by holding Thursday’s event, which has been catered for 700 guests at the William Magarey Room in the Riverbank Stand.
State director Sasha Meldrum told The Australian the event would be held in line with social distancing rules, with one person seated every 2sq m.
Other party figures said there was internal tension about the wisdom of holding such a huge event in the same week that weddings had again been capped at 100 and funerals at 50.
“It’s just confusing and it looks like there’s one set of rules for us and another for the punters,” one party member told The Australian. “We have a lot of members who would normally want to come who are older women but they feel quite torn about it.
“It’s causing genuine outrage among a lot of the membership.”
Some MPs are also against the scheduling of the meeting, with one describing it as “insane”.
Opposition Leader Peter Malinauskas took aim at the event, saying it sent the wrong signal to the community, and sniped at the SA Liberals over their failure to promote women in the recent reshuffle of four frontbenchers.
“I appreciate the desperate need for the Liberal Party to address its extraordinary level of female under-representation in the Marshall Liberal government,” he said, “but one has to wonder if the timing of a 700-person indoor gathering is appropriate considering reimposition of restrictions in SA this week.”
A Liberal source said Thursday event was “no different” to a wedding reception and people would be seated in an enclosed space and drinking alcohol. “It’s totally irresponsible and contrary to current messaging and decisions of government.”
More Coverage
Marles pays US an AUKUS advance
Australia has made its first AUKUS down payment to the US as the Albanese government looks to lock-in Trump administration support for the submarine program.
Miners’ blast to Treasurer: don’t waste our billions
Mining chiefs have accused Jim Chalmers of squandering surpluses they helped deliver and warned the budget will remain in deficit unless spending is reined in and fiscal discipline applied.