Glamorous politicians, corporate elites and journalists have gathered at Canberra’s Parliament House for the “Night of Nights” to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for charity.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his fiancée Jodie Haydon are among the celebrity attendees at the annual Midwinter Ball on Wednesday night. An anonymous person offered more than $25,000 to dine with the couple as part of the charity auction.
The ball began and all eyes were on which fashion brands were being worn.
Upon her arrival, Ms. Haydon entered the marble foyer wearing a black sequined dress.
Western Australian Labor MP Anne Aly stole the show with a statement piece she crocheted as a tribute to women who have lost their lives to domestic violence.
The black crochet dress is covered in a colorful display of flowers, each one different and representing one of the 64 women killed last year at the hands of violent partners.
Greens leader Larissa Waters wore earrings that read “Pro Choice,” while Western Australian Senator Dorinda Cox carried a clutch that read “Truth & Justice Now.”
Since 2022, the country’s heads of state and government and their partners have used the event to make their political views known.
Two years ago, the ball was notable for its anti-coal and anti-gas messages adorning the robes of Green Party Senator Sarah Hanson-Young and Claudia Perkins, the partner of party leader Adam Bandt.
Last year, Labor Senator Jana Stewart used fashion to raise awareness for the vote by wearing a dress embroidered with “Yes” and words from the Uluru Statement from the Heart.
The ball, hosted from the press gallery of the Federal Parliament, raised over $360,000 this year. The total amount raised over the entire life of the ball is more than $5.5 million.
This year’s charities include The Salvation Army Domestic Violence Support Service, Fitted For Work, The Humour Foundation, Frontier Services: Outback Links and ACT Pet Crisis Support.
A flurry of last-minute bids on Wednesday drove up the price of dining at the Lodge or Kirribilli House with the Prime Minister and Ms Haydon to $25,432.
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton’s offer to have dinner with him and two of his colleagues at one of Canberra’s finest restaurants sparked a bid of $12,000.
Qantas also offered two business class tickets to London or Los Angeles, which exceeded all auction prices and sold for $16,200.
Mr Albanese and Mr Bandt will sit with their partners at one of the front tables, while Mr Dutton and Nationals leader David Littleproud will sit at another table in the Great Hall.
The menu includes Wagyu beef carpaccio or champagne poached chicken for starters, grilled Humpty Doo barramundi fillet or roasted Armidale lamb for mains and red velvet roulade for dessert.
The event will include appearances and speeches by the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition.
The ball also features the presentation of the prestigious “Press Gallery Journalist of the Year” award to a deserving journalist.