Pre-Election Fundraising at the Pratt's 2

Sarah Ferguson: They're [the Israel lobby] still a very small group of people. How do you account for them wielding so much power?
Bob Carr: I think party donations and a program of giving trips to MPs and journalists to Israel.

***

We covered Morrison's fundraiser at the Pratt's in my 15/3/19 post Pre-Election Fundraising at the Pratt's. The Australian's Business Review, you'll recall, concluded it's Margin Call entry on the subject thus: "Bet you the Visy billionaire [Anthony Pratt] is back in the manor when ascendant Labor leader Bill Shorten and his troops arrive for a reciprocal fundraising event in a couple of weeks."

As predicted, he was! Now here's Margin Call's account of Shorten and troops, cap-in-hand:

"He's on track to be our next prime minister, but Labor leader Bill Shorten is still shy about tucking his knees under the table of Australia's richest family. Just over six weeks from the federal election, Shorten last night entered the billionaire Pratt family's historic mansion Raheen via the secret stable doors, a laneway entrance normally reserved for deliveries. Maybe the leader of the worker's party thought it was the tradesman's entrance?

"For Shorten, it was a return to the Melbourne home of the billionaire family's matriarch Jeanne Pratt, her son Anthony Pratt and his wife Claudine, after a long absence. The politician was previously a frequent guest via his first marriage to Debbie Beale, a god-daughter to Jeanne and her late husband Richard Pratt. But last night Shorten was back in the Pratt fold, with the doors of their Kew home Raheen thrown open for a left-of-centre political fundraiser featuring a powerful clutch of Melbourne business types. Amazing how the sniff of victory can pull a crowd, even at $5000 a head.

"While their leader didn't want to be photographed, his deputy Tanya Plibersek arrived through Raheen's imposing main gates to be greeted by her packaging hosts at the arched front door. Very civilised. Almost Treasurer Chris Bowen, who has become quite chummy with Anthony Pratt of late, had slipped inside much earlier. Their Labor colleague Clare O'Neill had a bumpier entree. The shadow minister for financial services... and her VW family wagon were turned back at the Pratt's threshold and directed to a car park on the street. Retiring Member for Melbourne Ports Michael Danby also drove himself in his Ford Territory.

"Rich-lister businessman Peter Scanlon was in for the night, as was former Tennis Australia chair Harold Mitchell and one-time Packer lieutenant and now Ellerston Capital chief Ashok Jacob. Former Telstra chair Bob Mansfield and leading Melbourne lawyer Mark Leibler, both at Prime Minister Scott Morrison's fundraiser at Raheen a fortnight ago, were back to play the other side, as was rich-lister and Jeanne's son-in-law Raphael Geminder. Former Victorian premier and industry super fund CBUS chair Steve Bracks came in a heavily tinted car with driver. Will Shorten soon make his New York dreams come true?

"Outgoing member for Lilley and Labor national president Wayne Swan, looking tanned and relaxed, was in bright and early, as was Member for Isaac Mark Dreyfus and Shorten's good friend and now senator for Victoria Kimberley Kitching, who Margin Call awarded best dressed on the night in a classic navy wrap dress." (Upmarket welcome for the workers' warriors, Will Glasgow & Christine Lacy, 28/3/19)

Meet Labor's Latest Faction

OMFG, what next?

"Labor senator Kimberley Kitching - a close ally and friend of Bill Shorten - is moving to create a bipartisan parliamentary group that will defend 'Judeo-Christian' and 'Western-liberal democratic' values as she launches her credentials as a new style of social conservative within the Labor Party." (Kitching caters for Labor's conservative core, Greg Brown, The Australian, 8/10/18)

"While most Labor MPs have backed this position [of not moving Australia's embassy to Jerusalem], others associated with Labor have been pressuring the party to switch its policies in favour of the move. Henry Pinskier, chair of the Labor-aligned John Curtin Research Centre has been campaigning for the move. 'He [Morrison] should move it. Finish what he started, stop back sliding, show some spine,' Mr Pinskier tweeted earlier this month. 'Get this done Josh before you lose government. Don't be swayed by what Indonesia or Malaysia say. A country that has no ties to Israel diplomatically cannot and should not dictate Australia's foreign policy interest.' Labor's senators Kim Carr and Kimberley Kitching and MPs Michael Danby and Mike Kelly are listed on the think tank's board of advisers. John Curtin Research Centre director Nick Dyrenfurth yesterday said Mr Pinskier's views did not represent the official position of the think tank. 'Henry's comments are made in a private capacity only,' Mr Dyrenfurth told The Australian. Mr Danby has said Mr Morrison will look like a 'worthless dud' if he does not make some policy changes on Iran and Jerusalem as a result of his policy review." (Embassy move: voters far from convinced, Primrose Riordan, The Australian, 28/11/18)

Strike a light!

If these misbegottens had a shred of honesty, they'd stop hiding behind the phony "Judeo-Christian" label, change the name of their lair to the Vladimir Jabotinsky Centre, and openly declare themselves for what they are - Zionists.

Just Another Labor Zionist

"Michael Danby, the Labor member for Melbourne Ports, has described [Shorten-ally Kimberley Kitching MP] as 'the most intellectually impressive woman active on the moderate side of Labor politics'." (My Kitching rules, Matthew Knott, GoodWeekend, 3/3/18)

So what is it about Kitching that's got the shadow minister for Israel salivating so?

Oh, I see:

"One of the most high profile moments in her time on [Melbourne Council] came when she championed the removal of a publicly funded anti-Israel mural from the CBD. The work featured a large Star of David and described 200,000 Palestinians being killed and 385 towns destroyed since the creation of the State of Israel.'People when berserk when we took it down,' Kitching, a passionate supporter of Israel, recalls with delight. 'I must have done every talk back show in Australia that week'."

Others, of course, are not so easily impressed:

"'Kimberley is a very charming, warm, engaging, highly-intelligent moral vacuum,' a senior figure from the Labor Left says."

But there's hope yet:

 "Kitching's friend John Roskam, executive director of the free-market Institute of Public Affairs think tank, says she is part of a 'dying breed' in the Labor Party. 'She represents traditional Labor Right values in a party that is being dragged to the left. She doesn't hate capitalism, she doesn't hate employers, she would view the Greens as just as much and enemy of the Labor Party as the Liberals'."

One Dark Night, While Out Campaigning for Michael Danby...

Your Honour, it really wasn't our fault. There we were, just a hapless, ragged quartet of Labor powerbrokers going about our business in the wee small hours, when, all of a sudden, the hideous, contorted features of our enemies, albeit in poster form, began leering and mocking us, or so it seemed, as we hastened by there in the gloom. So provoking were their fiendish faces, that we were quite overcome. David, George and Dean, as is their wont, looked to me for courage and leadership, and without a second thought, I found myself crying out: 'Once more into the breach, dear friends, once more... The game's afoot: Follow your spirit, and upon this charge, Cry 'God for Michael, Israel & St Bill!' Know what I mean, your Honour? (With apologies to the Bard)

"Four Labor figures with links to Opposition leader Bill Shorten are set to be spared criminal records over allegations they vandalised polling places on the morning of the last federal election. The quartet of middle-aged party powerbrokers are accused of damaging Liberal and Greens promotional material at polling booths from Ellwood to Port Melbourne early on July 2 last year.

"One of the accused, Andrew Landeryou*, is the husband of Victorian senator Kimberly Kitching. David Boutros-Asmar, George Droutsas and Dean Sherriff are also accused of taking part in damaging the material of rival parties. The four men were campaigning for Michael Danby, who retained the seat of Melbourne Ports for the ALP. The Melbourne Magistrates Court heard on Wednesday that it was likely the men would be penalised under the court's diversion program. The program allows people charged with minor criminal charges to avoid having criminal records provided they accept responsibility for their offending." (Labor four avoid conviction over vandalism, Adam Cooper/ Nino Bucci, Sydney Morning Herald, 16/3/17)

[*Of the binned vexnews blog. Sample tweet: "In Israel, violent nutters are put in prison. In Gaza, violent nutters are put in power." (9/8/15)]