 | This article has an unclear citation style .(June 2018) |
Marcus Bastiaan | |
|---|---|
 Bastiaan in the 2020s | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Melbourne, Victoria |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Political party | Liberal Party (until 2020) |
| Spouse | Stephanie Bastiaan |
Marcus Bastiaan (born 1990) [1] is an Australian businessman, industry advocate and political power broker. [2] He is a former vice-president of the Victorian Division of the Liberal Party of Australia. [3] [4]
Bastiaan joined the Liberal Party in Victoria in 2010. [5] 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. [6] Bastiaan later became chair of the party's Goldstein branch and Brighton branch. [7] Between 2015 and 2018 Bastiaan was elected to the Liberal Party's Administrative Committee and served as Vice Chairman and Chairman of the Party's Membership and Training Committee. [8] [9] [10]
He has been seen by some as a protégé of former Victorian state Liberal president and fellow Liberal powerbroker Michael Kroger. Bastiaan has written in the Herald Sun and Spectator advocating for democratisation and greater parliamentary renewal within the Liberal Party. [11] [12] Bastiaan has been critical of lobbyist and union involvement within the political parties, stating "Union or lobbyist domination of governments leads to broad-based supporter disenchantment, political cronyism and widespread voter disillusionment.” [13] Bastiaan was a supporter of the NSW Liberal Party Democratic Reform, speaking alongside former Prime Minister Tony Abbott. [14] [15]
In 2017, Four Corners reported that the Kroger/Bastiaan group had taken control of the Liberal Victorian Administrative Committee. [16]
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. [3] [4]
The Age newspaper reported leaked text and Facebook messages allegedly from Liberal Party administrative committee members Paul Mitchell and Bastiaan that used homophobic and racist terms. [17] Both Bastiaan and Mitchell were cleared of "detrimental conduct" by a Liberal Party investigation. [18]
Bastiaan has been accused of branch stacking since 2015. [19] [20] He was alleged to be involved in drawing people from religious and community groups, including Mormons, [21] Probus groups, retail trade associations, healthcare professionals and "anyone that will listen" to the Liberal Party. [22] [23]
Bastiaan rejected branch stacking allegations, arguing recruitment was necessary to renew the diminishing membership and blamed long serving members of parliament for undertaking a "sustained campaign to ridicule new members". Bastiaan was also accused of installing factional operatives in Michael Sukkar and Kevin Andrews' electorate offices. [24] [25] [26]
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. [27] [28] [29] Bastiaan rejected these allegations. 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. [10] [30]
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. [31] [32]
Following Bastiaan’s legal win he appeared on Sky News with Cory Bernardi stating "until the Liberal Party in Victoria can work out how it's going to govern itself it will never govern in its state." He appealed to the Victorian Liberal Party to "get back to its fundamental values set, and that is to reduce the size of government and the cost of government”. [33]
Despite leaving the party, Bastiaan has still been interested in internal Liberal Party politics and advocating for change, writing and appearing in the media. [34] [35]
As of 2024 [update] , Bastiaan runs a door manufacturing business. [36] [37] [38]
Bastiaan has been critical of government led forestry closures in Victoria and NSW, due to the impact on businesses within the sector and regional communities. He has advocated for forestry policy that transitions timber production from native forests to plantations. [39] [40] [41]
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. [42] [43]
Bastiaan married Stephanie Ross in May 2017 at Our Lady of Victories Basilica Catholic church in Camberwell. His wife writes for The Spectator , Australia. [44] They have four daughters.[ citation needed ]
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