The voice is now a Canberran fashion trend set to tour Australia
Politics and fashion combined for the annual Midwinter Ball held for parliamentarians and the press inside Parliament House | WHO’S WHO PHOTOS
Forget Paris, Canberra was the home of the latest couture on Wednesday.
Politics and fashion combined for the annual Midwinter Ball held for parliamentarians and the press inside Parliament House, an event that is touted as the Met Gala for public policy wonks.
There was no mistaking the theme of the evening. Guests were greeted with a giant projection of Uluru as they entered the Great Hall as singer Mitch Tambo kicked off the event with a stirring rendition, in Gamilaraay language, of John Farnham’s The Voice.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was accompanied by his partner Jodie Haydon, resplendent in a black, full Zimmermann skirt and Marle blouse.
Senator Jacqui Lambie also wore a black halter neck gown. An outfit she “picked up from the local shops” in her home town of Burnie.
The event raised more than $362,500 this year for organisations including the Butterfly Foundation, the Daniel McCormbe Foundation and Dolly’s Dream.
While issues involving safety inside Parliament House have dominated the sitting fortnight due to the ongoing fall out to the from allegations of sexual assault made by former Liberal staffer Brittany Higgins, guests, including top corporate representatives from Westpac and senior media executives and presenters like Leigh Sales, were encouraged to “please drink responsibly”.
One of the recommendations from the Jenkins Safety at work report was the cap on unlimited service of alcohol at functions hosted on Capital Hill. On Wednesday night gone where the “drinks buckets” of balls gone by and instead waiters were delivering glasses of wine and beer to individuals throughout the night.
Following the successful passing of the Constitution Alteration Bill this week – making way for the voice referendum later this year – Senator Jana Stewart led the charge for the Yes campaign, wearing a one-of-a-kind gown emblazoned with the Uluru Statement from the Heart. The Senator for Victoria, and Mutthi Mutthi and Wamba Wamba woman, was the belle of the ball in an ivory silk gown with a red velvet cloak sporting the word “yes”. The ensemble was made by Indigenous label Clothing The Gap – a brand headed up by Senator Stewart’s sister-in-law Laura Thompson.
Each letter took 45 minutes to sew and the gown, with its boned bodice, required more than nine fittings with creator Fozia Akalo, as the Senator is also a new mother who is breastfeeding.
“Fashion in and of itself is a political statement,” Senator Stewart told The Australian. “What you choose to wear matters. I wear my values every day, whether that be through a pair of Aboriginal designed earrings, a statement pin or wearing my own artwork on my jacket and shoes. This dress is an extension of what I do everyday.”
She said the dress was not designed to offend or alienate, unlike other gowns considered “protest” pieces, like last year when Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young wore a 50-year-old tablecloth fashioned into a dress calling for the end of coal exploration.
“This fashion piece, like the Uluru Statement itself, ‘captures our aspirations for a fair and truthful relationship with the people of Australia’, something we should all be working towards. Every conversation this year matters as we lead into a referendum to enshrine an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voice into the constitution. This dress is an invitation to talk about what this referendum will mean, for all of us.”
After making its debut at the charity ball, Senator Stewart’s dress is set to embark on a national tour of shopping centres.
Following a combative question time on Wednesday, and a bruising final sitting fortnight, Anthony Albanese and his partner Jodie Haydon dazzled alongside Opposition Leader Peter Dutton and his wife, Kirilly.
Aged Care and Sport Minister Anika Wells joined Senator Stewart in flying the flag supporting Australian fashion and small business in an ethereal Zimmermann gown she rented for the night from The Volte.
The Midwinter Ball is hosted every year by the federal parliamentary press gallery in order to raise funds for local Canberran and national charitable organisations.
ABC satirist Mark Humphries hosted the evening and had the crowd in stitches before welcoming the Prime Minister to the stage for the annual off the record leader’s speech.
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