The Greens Party of Western Australia (WA) has been forced to cancel plans to hold a fundraising dance party on ANZAC Day.
Commemorated each year on April 25, New Zealand and Australia pause on ANZAC Day to remember the lives of service people lost in wars, and politicians from all parties traditionally suspend their campaigning to attend dawn and morning services.
The five-hour “Greens Party Party” event, featuring five DJs, was to be held at Old Habits in Wembley, which describes itself as “Perth’s go-to small bar for an intimate vibe, featuring burlesque, comedy, cocktails, film nights, skateboarding, and more.” It’s also a tattoo parlour.
“Join us for a night when the dancefloor becomes the platform for radical change,” promotional posters for the event said. “Your moves matter—on the floor and at the polls. Want change? Tonight, let’s dance for it.”
Admission to the event would have cost anything from $30 to $1,000 plus an “optional donation,” with the money raised going to “make history” (according to the promotion) by electing Greens candidate Sophie Greer to the federal seat of Perth and re-electing Jordon Steele-John to the Senate.
“The federal election is right around the corner. Join us for a night when the dance floor becomes the platform for radical change,” the invitation read.
But the plan prompted widespread outcry across politics and social media.
Returned Services League (RSL) State President Duncan Anderson told Perth radio 6PR that the idea had left him “lost for words.”
“For one day a year, we are able to rise above politics, and we are able to rise above individuals and sit back and reflect on how lucky we are to live in this country. And it’s not by luck that we are able to live here and enjoy the freedom, including freedom of speech; it’s through the service and sacrifice of generations of young men and women,” Anderson said.
“As a member of the community and a veteran, I’m pretty much at a loss.”
He also pointed out that ANZAC Day was the day the RSL and related organisations, such as Legacy, did most of their fundraising.
Even if the Greens instead offered to donate the money to the RSL, the organisation would not accept it because it is strictly apolitical, Anderson said.
Politicians Call it ‘Disgraceful’ And ‘Tone Deaf’
Federal Member for Perth and Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister, Patrick Gorman, described the Greens’ timing of the event as “one of the worst judgements” he’s witnessed in politics and called the idea “disgraceful.”In response to questions about the event, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said ANZAC Day should be one of reflection.
“[It] is a day of respect for the men and women who’ve made the ultimate sacrifice. I think it’s not a day for normal business as usual,” he said.
“I know that Australians, in their millions, will pause on that day to say those three sacred words: Lest we forget.”
And in the midst of an election campaign where lines are clearly drawn, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton was in lockstep with the prime minister, calling the dance party “completely inappropriate.”
“I just say to every young Australian who’s proud of their grandfather who fought in the war, proud of a cousin who’s serving in the Australian Defence Force, understand that the Greens have complete contempt for our Defence Force personnel,” he said.
WA Premier Roger Cook also voiced his condemnation.
“The Greens have got to read the room, for goodness sake. It is not the day to put on a dance party fundraiser,” he said. “Quite frankly, this just suggests they are tone-deaf.”
The Federal Greens Leader Adam Bandt—who hosted a similar event in March, where he made his DJ debut—said he was unaware it was happening.
By midday, the event link had been taken down and all mention of it was erased from social media. Shortly afterwards, the WA Greens issued a one-line statement declaring the fundraiser timing had changed.
“Sophie Greer will attend an ANZAC Day service on that day, and she was always intending to do,” Greens WA co-convenor Chilla Bulbeck said.
