Marcus Bastiaan

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Marcus Bastiaan
Personal details
BornMelbourne, Victoria
NationalityAustralian
Political partyLiberal Party (until 2020)
SpouseStephanie Bastiaan

Marcus Bastiaan (born 1990)[1] is an Australian businessman and political power broker. He is a former vice-president of the Victorian Division of the Liberal Party of Australia.[2][3]

Politics[edit]

Bastiaan joined the Liberal Party in Victoria in 2010.[4] In 2012 he stood unsuccessfully for Bayside Council in Melbourne's inner south local government election. Bastiaan polled the third highest primary among 16 candidates and lost on preferences.[5] Bastiaan later became chair of the party's Goldstein branch and Brighton branch.[6] Between 2015 and 2018 Bastiaan was elected to the Liberal Party's Administrative Committee and served as Chairman of the Party's Membership and Training Committee.[7]

He has been seen by some as a protégé of former Victorian state Liberal president and fellow Liberal powerbroker Michael Kroger, who resigned from his leadership position on 30 November 2018, following the landslide re-election of the Andrews Labor government in the October 2018 Victorian elections.[8][9]

In 2017, Four Corners reported that the Kroger/Bastiaan group had taken control of the Liberal Victorian Administrative Committee.[10]

In April 2018, Bastiaan was elected metropolitan male vice-president of the Liberal Party (Victorian Division) at the annual State Council.[11][12] In September 2018 Bastiaan announced that, due to the serious illness of an immediate family member, he and his wife Stephanie would step down from their voluntary roles within the party.[2][3]

The Age newspaper reported leaked text and Facebook messages allegedly from Liberal Party administrative committee members Paul Mitchell and Bastiaan that used racist and homophobic terms.[13]

Bastiaan has been accused of branch stacking since 2015.[14][15] He was alleged to be involved in drawing people from religious groups, especially Mormons,[16] to the Liberal Party.[17] Bastiaan was also accused of installing factional operatives in Michael Sukkar and Kevin Andrews' electorate offices, including to "create advertising material for a Liberal Party Preselection fight for the state seat of Narracan where Mr Bastiaan’s partner, now wife, Stephanie was seeking to defeat incumbent Gary Blackwood".[18][19][20]

In August 2020, allegations were made by Channel Nine's 60 Minutes and The Age that Bastiaan was involved in branch stacking activities, allegedly endorsed by Andrews and Sukkar.[21][22][23]

In August 2020, Bastiaan vehemently rejected allegations aired in the media from within the party that he was involved in branch stacking activities. He stated that his role as Chair of the Membership and Training Committee was to recruit and train members. Bastiaan however decided to resign his party membership, stating that the ongoing leaking was an unnecessary distraction for the Liberal Party.[7][24]

Bastiaan launched legal proceedings against Nine Entertainment (the owner of the Nine Network, The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald) following the 60 Minutes program. Nine Entertainment settled a defamation lawsuit with Bastiaan, leading to the removal of dozens of articles and social media posts.[25][26] Following his legal win, Bastiaan appeared on Sky News with conservative former MP Cory Bernardi stating that "until the party can work out how it's going to govern itself it will never govern in this state".[27]: 01:35  Bastiaan urged the party to return to its fundamental values set, reducing the size and cost of government.[27]

Despite leaving the party, Bastiaan has still been interested in internal Liberal Party politics and advocating for change, writing and appearing in the media.[28][29]

Personal life[edit]

Bastiaan graduated from Brighton Grammar in 2008. He has run several successful technology businesses, including e-commerce and logistics start-ups. Bastiaan is currently running a door manufacturing business.[30][31]

Bastiaan married Stephanie Ross in May 2017 at Our Lady of Victories Basilica Catholic church in Camberwell. His wife is a journalist with The Spectator, Australia.[32] They have three daughters.

References[edit]

  1. ^ McKenzie-Murray, Martin (12 May 2018). "The Victorian right's capture of the Liberal Party".
  2. ^ a b "Rising powerbroker Marcus Bastiaan quits Liberal power hub". 6 September 2018.
  3. ^ a b "Heraldsun.com.au | Subscribe to the Herald Sun for exclusive stories".
  4. ^ "The Lion – Marcus Bastiaan | ABALINX". 24 March 2018.
  5. ^ "2012 Election Results". www.vec.vic.gov.au.
  6. ^ "Nepal Fundraising & Breakfast with Minister - Consulate General of Nepal in Victoria". 8 September 2015.
  7. ^ a b "Former Victorian Liberal vice-president resigns from party after secret recordings aired". ABC News. 24 August 2020.
  8. ^ "Will Michael Kroger sink or save the Victorian Liberal Party?". 29 September 2017.
  9. ^ "Cat out of the bag". The Australian. 15 May 2017. Retrieved 7 June 2018.
  10. ^ Brissenden, Michael (13 November 2017). "Turnbull is at his weakest and the conservatives are circling". ABC News.
  11. ^ https://vic.liberal.org.au/AboutUs/PartyMembers
  12. ^ "Kroger wins". Herald Sun. 5 October 2017. Retrieved 7 June 2018.
  13. ^ "Party powerbroker faces suspension over offensive messages". The Age. 29 June 2019.
  14. ^ "Conservative Liberals hatch plan to thwart dying with dignity laws". ABC News. 11 July 2017.
  15. ^ Correspondent, Richard Willingham, State Political (13 February 2017). "Liberal preselection candidate lashes out at Matthew Guy over gas policy".{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  16. ^ "Victorian Liberal Party launches investigation into party memberships, leaked tape reveals Michael Kroger spruiking Marcus Bastiaan's recruitment efforts". 24 August 2020.
  17. ^ "Guy joins calls to expel former Liberal Party vice president". 26 August 2020.
  18. ^ "Sukkar helped install factional operatives in Kevin Andrews' office". 25 August 2020.
  19. ^ "Michael Sukkar and Kevin Andrews cleared of wrongdoing after allegations of Victorian Liberal Party branch stacking". ABC News. 13 October 2020. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
  20. ^ "Knives out for Liberal president". The Australian. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
  21. ^ "Victorian Liberal powerbroker Marcus Bastiaan resigns from party following branch stacking allegations". ABC News. 24 August 2020. Retrieved 5 March 2024.
  22. ^ Harris, Rob (28 August 2020). "How the Victorian Liberals' conservative warlords tore the party apart". amp.theage.com.au. Retrieved 5 March 2024.
  23. ^ "Why won't Frydenberg save the Victorian Liberals?". Australian Financial Review. 26 August 2020.
  24. ^ Sakkal, Rob Harris, Paul (28 August 2020). "How the Victorian Liberals' conservative warlords tore the party apart". The Age. Retrieved 30 December 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  25. ^ "Nine Entertainment settles defamation case with former Victorian Liberal Party powerbroker Marcus Bastiaan". The Australian Business Review. 23 January 2023. Retrieved 23 January 2023.
  26. ^ "Victorian Liberal Party powerbroker wins major defamation suit against 60 Minutes".
  27. ^ a b "Liberal Party will never 'govern' in Victoria". Sky News. 23 January 2023. Retrieved 23 January 2023.
  28. ^ "Victorian Liberal Party needs drastic change from within".
  29. ^ "Spectator Australia articles by Marcus Bastiaan".
  30. ^ "Victorian Liberals: Factional fight exposes deep divisions". 17 February 2017.
  31. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 March 2018. Retrieved 13 October 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  32. ^ "Spectator Australia".
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