By Stephen Brook and Kishor Napier-Raman
Successful businesswoman and deputy lord mayor aspirant Erin Deering is definitely injecting some unconventional new energy into local government politics, the basement tier of democracy.
Deering, on a ticket with former acting lord mayor Arron Wood, is a former AFR Young Rich Lister who sold out of bikini business Triangl in 2016 and is still worth millions. On Sunday, her new-age influencer kook and Town Hall politics collided with a thud.
Erin Deering on Instagram.Credit: @erinkdeering
Deering took to Instagram ahead of her big parks and gardens press conference with Wood to perform a “Get Ready With Me” (for readers unfamiliar, it is a behind-the-scenes social media preview).
She started with a political declaration: a large pimple on her forehead she needed to conceal, before spraying on some “grounding” perfume (calming before the cameras) and pondered which crystal to wear.
“I think it’s kind of interesting. It’s new to me,” Deering told her 46,000 Instagram followers with considerable understatement.
As The Age previously reported, Deering is not a typical politician.
She’s a believer in astrology and has said she “manifested” becoming deputy lord mayor when the “Lion’s Gate Portal” was open.
When she was duly asked about this by a TV reporter, Deering replied with a straight face: “Look, my spiritual beliefs are not that interesting. To be honest, my strength is here in the City of Melbourne. I’m passionate, especially about the announcement that we’re making today about parks and gardens. I have four children, so for me, getting out in parks and gardens in the City of Melbourne is one of our favourite things to do on the weekend.”
Deering says astrology won’t guide her decision-making.Credit: Eamon Gallagher
She flatly rejected that astrology would guide her decision-making in office.
Sounds like the grounding perfume did the trick!
BINGO NIGHT TIFF
Tim Wilson (remember him?) is desperate to reverse the teal wave which swept suburban Liberal MPs out to sea at the previous federal election.
Freida Commitment joined Tim Wilson for bingo.Credit: Illustration: Joe Benke
He is the only vanquished Liberal MP who is going again, standing for re-election against teal Zoe Daniel in the bayside Melbourne seat of Goldstein.
But alas, his attendance on the weekend at a drag bingo event at the local Black Rock Yacht Club, hosted by drag queen Freida Commitment generated some unhappiness within the local Liberal Party. Ladies and gentlemen, please join the 21st century.
The source of the angst was a fun flyer for the event from the Liberal Pride Branch asking people to join TW on their table. It featured Wilson in a sailor’s hat. Looking jaunty there, Tim.
The sold-out event was full of school mums. But one correspondent contacted CBD to point out some old folk in the area weren’t happy.
A correspondent to CBD wrote: “When the election is eventually held a number of eighty and ninety-year-olds will be asked to stand at polling booths to assist their former member’s cause. Some have already indicated they have something else to do on that day (whenever it is).”
Will Stoltz, president of the Liberal Pride Branch, was having none of it. “It was great fun, a fabulous night. There is a long tradition of this going back to Dame Edna,” he said.
Tim Wilson as you have never seen him.
“That’s not an accurate representation of the older members of Goldstein. They are a very inclusive, fun bunch of people.”
Wilson declined to comment, citing party rules for Liberal candidates which meant all media requests had to go through the party office. So much for being the champions of free speech!
SO LONG, FAREWELL
Sad news with the closure of famed Canberra venue, Muse. The cafe and bookshop in Kingston’s East Hotel is shutting after nine years of playing a central role in the politico-cultural life of the capital. Its owners signed off last week with this pointed post on X aimed at the Greens’ Adam Bandt and Max Chandler-Mather, Labor’s Mark Butler and Libby Coker and one mystery MP from Victoria. You may well think you know the identity of the senator, we couldn’t possibly comment!
THANKS FOR COMING
It’s been over a decade since then Liberal leader Tony Abbott ditched the durries, announcing that the Liberal Party would no longer accept donations from big tobacco. Its junior Coalition partner, the Nationals, never made the same pledge, and continue to get the odd bit of cash from the likes of British American Tobacco.
That company is ably represented by lobbyists JPG Advisory, the one-man band of Jeremy Greenwood, a former staffer to Nationals senator Matt Canavan whose other clients include the Catholic Church.
Earlier this month, Liberal shadow minister Michael Sukkar, the member for Deakin, declared that he’d been taken to the Collingwood versus Carlton game at the MCG, courtesy of JPG. His office didn’t respond to our questions. Sources close to the action told CBD the corporate hospo wasn’t tobacco related, but that Sukkar and Greenwood, who’d become mates in Canberra, just wanted a chance to catch up.
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