A glittering array of actors, politicians and TV stars attended an election night party hosted by media power couple Lisa Wilkinson and Peter FitzSimons at their multimillion-dollar harbourside mansion in Sydney on Saturday.
Labor leader Anthony Albanese‘s victory over Prime Minister Scott Morrison was said to be a ‘healing’ experience for the predominantly left-wing guests, who had been left devastated by Bill Shorten’s unexpected defeat in 2019, reports The Australian.
Married actors Bryan Brown and Rachel Ward rubbed shoulders with the likes of WSFM radio duo Brendan ‘Jonesy’ Jones and Amanda Keller at the exclusive event, where the attendees ‘celebrated into the wee hours’.
Actors, politicians and TV stars attended an election night party hosted by Lisa Wilkinson and Peter FitzSimons at their harbourside mansion in Sydney on Saturday. (Wilkinson is seen here with actor Simon Baker and journalists Julia Baird and Jennifer Byrne)
The most high-profile guest was actor Simon Baker, the Tasmanian-born star of hit U.S. TV show The Mentalist and Hollywood movies including The Devil Wears Prada.
The day before the high-powered gathering, Baker had been pictured speaking with Allegra Spender outside a pre-polling booth in Sydney‘s Bondi Junction.
Ms Spender, the teal independent candidate for the Wentworth division, ended up unseating Liberal MP Dave Sharma on Saturday.
Wilkinson and FitzSimons (right) host a party at their multimillion-dollar home every federal election night, inviting a Who’s Who of media, politics and the arts
The most high-profile guest was actor Simon Baker, star of U.S. TV show The Mentalist and movies such as The Devil Wears Prada. (He was pictured speaking with teal independent Allegra Spender outside a pre-polling booth in Sydney’s Bondi Junction on Friday)
Married actors Bryan Brown and Rachel Ward (pictured at the Sydney Film Festival on May 8, 2019) rubbed shoulders with the likes of WSFM radio duo Brendan ‘Jonesy’ Jones and Amanda Keller at the exclusive event, where the attendees ‘celebrated into the wee hours’
British celebrity chef Nigella Lawson (pictured on March 24), who is a supporter of the UK Labour Party, was also among the guests, and later tweeted: ‘What a night to be in Australia!’
British celebrity chef Nigella Lawson, who is known to support the UK Labour Party, was also among the attendees, and later tweeted: ‘What a night to be in Australia!’
Several notable journalists were on the guest list, including ABC presenters Julia Baird and Jennifer Byrne, who posed for a celebratory Instagram selfie with Wilkinson on the night.
The Sunday Project host captioned the photo: ‘Well, that was a fun night. This one’s for you, Brittany Higgins.’
Top-rating breakfast radio hosts Amanda Keller and Brendan Jones (pictured on November 19, 2015) were on the guest list for Wilkinson and FitzSimons’ traditional election night party
Several notable journalists were on the guest list, including Kate McClymont (pictured on July 26, 2018), an investigative reporter for the Sydney Morning Herald
Wilkinson has long been an advocate for Ms Higgins, a former Liberal Party staffer who claims she was sexually assaulted by a colleague in Parliament House in 2019 and has since become an outspoken critic of the Morrison government.
The journo contingent was completed by Kate McClymont, an investigative reporter for the Sydney Morning Herald, and Mike Carlton, who used to host a 2UE radio show with FitzSimons, as well as several producers of Channel 10’s The Project.
Former Queensland premier Peter Beattie represented Labor at Wilkinson and FitzSimons’ election party.
Former Queensland premier Peter Beattie (pictured on February 28, 2019) represented Labor at Wilkinson and FitzSimons’ election party
The most high-profile Liberal in attendance was NSW Treasurer Matt Kean, a Morrison critic whose advocacy for climate change action has put him at odds with members of his own party
Mike Carlton (pictured on March 9, 2013), who used to host a 2UE radio show with FitzSimons, attended the party
The most high-profile Liberal in attendance was NSW Treasurer Matt Kean, a Morrison critic whose advocacy for climate change action has put him at odds with some members of his own party.
Novelist Thomas Keneally, whose non-fiction book Schindler’s Ark was adapted by director Steven Spielberg into the Oscar-winning 1993 film Schindler’s List, ‘regaled the assembled throng with an impromptu poetry reading’, according to Media Diary.
Wilkinson and FitzSimons host a party at their ritzy home every federal election night, inviting a Who’s Who of media, politics and the arts.
The 2019 event was said to be a sombre affair when Morrison secured a ‘miracle’ victory over Labor leader Shorten, who was widely predicted to win.
Anthony Albanese (pictured on May 21) will become Australia’s 31st Prime Minister
