Marcus Bastiaan

Marcus Bastiaan (born 1990)[2] is an Australian businessman and political power broker. He is a former vice-president of the Victorian Division of the Liberal Party of Australia. 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 November 30th 2018, following the landslide re-election of the Andrews Labor Government in the October 2018 Victorian elections.[3][4]

Marcus Bastiaan
Personal details
BornMelbourne, Victoria
NationalityAustralian
Political partyLiberal Party
Spouse(s)Stephanie Bastiaan
ProfessionSoftware designer[1]

Political activity

Bastiaan joined the Liberal Party in Victoria in 2010.[5] He stood for the Bayside Council in Melbourne's inner south at the 2012 election alongside running mate Michael Heffernan, a former Liberal Candidate who ran for Higinbotham Province in 2002 but was unsuccessful.[6][7][8] Bastiaan later became chair of the Goldstein Federal Electorate Conference one year later, and served for three years until retiring in 2017. During this time, he also served as chair of the Brighton state electorate council, from which he also retired in 2017.[9]

Bastiaan has written in The Spectator about union and lobbyist influence of government, and his view that too many political staffers are preselected for election to parliaments across Australia. Bastiaan has written that these factors lead to party supporter disenchantment, cronyism, and widespread voter disillusionment.[10][11][3]

In 2017, Bastiaan was interviewed by the ABC TV show Four Corners during which he stated "those who don't like a big Liberal Party should go and join another party". Four Corners also reported that the Kroger/Bastiaan group had taken control of the Liberal Victorian administrative committee.[12] He has been accused by some of "branch stacking" in the Victorian Liberal Party and[13] causing instability in the party.[14] Bastiaan is believed to be involved in drawing people from religious backgrounds to the Liberal Party, despite concerns it could harm the Liberals' chances of winning the state election in Victoria in 2018.[15]

In April 2018, Bastiaan was elected metropolitan male vice-president of the Liberal Party (Victorian Division) at the annual State Council, an event where all electorate delegates of the state come together for a forum and to elect party officers.[16][17] By May 2018, the Bastiaan faction was said to be in control of the Victorian Liberal Party.[18]

In September 2018 Bastiaan announced that, due to a serious illness of an immediate family member he and his wife would step down from their roles within the party.[19] [20]

In December 2018, The Age newspaper reported leaked text and Facebook messages allegedly from administrative committee members Paul Mitchell and Marcus Bastiaan. they used racist and homophobic comments including referring to Indians as "curries".[21] Bastiaan had been viewed as a potential successor to Michael Kroger as Victorian Liberal Party President.[15].

Personal life

Bastiaan married Stephanie Ross in May 2017 at the Catholic church Our Lady of Victories Basilica, Camberwell; the couple had a daughter 6 months after the wedding, despite Mrs Bastiaan's Catholicism and long-held views on pre-marital sex. Bastiaan graduated from Brighton Grammar during 2008, attending there after moving back to Brighton from Merricks North, where he lived on a farm. Bastiaan has run several technology businesses, including e-commerce and logistics start-ups.[1] [22][23] Bastiaan's father is a periodontist and supported Bastiaan in starting an antiques business.[1] Bastiaan's mother is a surgeon.[24][25]

References
  1. https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/victorian-liberals-factional-fight-exposes-deep-divisions-20170217-gufg6b.html
  2. McKenzie-Murray, Martin (12 May 2018). "The Victorian right's capture of the Liberal Party".
  3. "Will Michael Kroger sink or save the Victorian Liberal Party?". 29 September 2017.
  4. "Nocookies". The Australian. Retrieved 7 June 2018.
  5. http://abalinx.com/blog/the-lion-marcus-bastiaan
  6. "Candidate list" (PDF). www.bcs.asn.au. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 March 2018. Retrieved 12 November 2017.
  7. "Candidate list" (PDF). www.bcs.asn.au.
  8. "Bayside City Council election results 2012 - Victorian Electoral Commission". www.vec.vic.gov.au.
  9. "Nepal Fundraising & Breakfast with Minister - Consulate General of Nepal in Victoria". 8 September 2015.
  10. "Author: Marcus Bastiaan - The Spectator Australia". The Spectator Australia.
  11. Willingham, Richard (27 September 2016). "Recruitment drive in churches divides Victorian Liberals". The Sydney Morning Herald.
  12. "Turnbull is at his weakest and the conservatives are circling". 13 November 2017.
  13. "Conservative Liberals hatch plan to thwart dying with dignity laws". 11 July 2017.
  14. Correspondent, Richard Willingham, State Political (13 February 2017). "Liberal preselection candidate lashes out at Matthew Guy over gas policy".
  15. https://www.afr.com/news/politics/liberal-party-prodigy-marcus-bastiaan-plans-to-succeed-michael-kroger-20180628-h11zfd
  16. https://vic.liberal.org.au/AboutUs/PartyMembers
  17. "Category". Herald Sun. 5 October 2017. Retrieved 7 June 2018.
  18. "Victorian Liberals openly defying PM amid accusations of Mormon branch-stacking". 4 May 2018.
  19. https://www.theage.com.au/politics/victoria/rising-powerbroker-marcus-bastiaan-quits-liberal-power-hub-20180906-p5023l.html
  20. https://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/liberal-powerbroker-couple-marcus-bastiaan-and-stephanie-ross-to-step-down/news-story/f52f9661b859547962620ada75737960
  21. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-12-20/vic-liberal-party-deny-racist-homophobic-catholic-curries/10640444
  22. http://rotarybrighton.com.au/images/thursday10october2013.pdf
  23. http://olgc.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/14-May-2017-Fifth-Sunday-of-Easter-Year-A.pdf
  24. http://rotarybrighton.com.au/images/thursday10october2013.pdf
  25. http://olgc.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/14-May-2017-Fifth-Sunday-of-Easter-Year-A.pdf
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