Inside Melbourne’s ‘Met Gala for business’ – but two big names were missing

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Decision makers from politics and across a swath of business sectors spruced up for Victoria’s business gala of the year, the Melbourne Ball, on Thursday evening – but two big names were missing.

Organisers had hoped Premier Jacinta Allan, who was a guest speaker alongside Hollywood star Eric Bana at last year’s knees-up, and Deputy Premier Ben Carroll would see their way clear to attend, but both advised well in advance that they were unavailable this year – both have a bit on their plate currently – leaving the job of being the key government representative in the room to Treasurer Jaclyn Symes.

Allan, of course, has been dealing with leadership rumblings, the lingering Commonwealth Games headache and Big Build corruption claims while Carroll is in the midst of a teachers’ pay dispute.

Sally Curtain and Jaclyn Symes smile for the camera at the big event on Thursday night.Ruby Alexander

The ball, or “Met Gala for business” as one invitee quipped, was put on by the Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and marked the chamber’s 175th birthday.

“This year’s Melbourne Ball is more than just a milestone; it gives us the chance to bring together the people behind Victoria’s success story and celebrate the massive achievements business has made over the past 175 years and beyond,” VCCI chief executive Sally Curtain noted when CBD checked in on Thursday afternoon.

“Victoria’s story is still unfolding and each of us have a role to play in shaping an even brighter future.”

In just its second year, the ball boasted a guest list with plenty of clout.

Along with Symes, Spring Street’s representatives included Nationals leader Danny O’Brien, Deputy Opposition Leader David Southwick and upper house MP Bev McArthur.

The City of Melbourne turned out in force led by the city’s chief cheerleader, Lord Mayor Nick Reece, and councillors Philip Lui, Raf Camillo, Gladys Liu and Andrew Rowse attending.

Fresh from recently assisting with the arrest of a miscreant in the city while on his way to work, police Chief Commissioner Mike Bush was a notable among the power brokers.

No major event is complete these days without Martin Pakula, the chair of Crown Melbourne and the Australian Grand Prix Corporation, on the list. Also among the rsvps were Travis Auld, chief executive of the Australian Grand Prix Corporation and his wife Megan O’Reilley, Atlantic Group boss Hatem Saleh, Crown Melbourne chief executive Ed Domingo, Visit Victoria chief executive Brendan McClements, former Victorian premier Steve Bracks and his wife Terry, NFL Australia’s general manager Charlotte Offord and Victoria Racing Club chief executive Kylie Rogers.

Adding some celebrity star dust to the room were Alex and Brendan Fevola, croissant queen Kate Reid and expert multitasker Andy Lee, who apart from being the ball’s master of ceremonies is an author, producer, TV and podcast host, epic renovator, keen golfer and New York pub owner.

Brendan and Alex Fevola added some celebrity appeal to the night in Melbourne.Ruby Alexander

Aside from a bit of power networking, guests dined out on an entree of murray cod with pea salad, beurre blanc, chive oil and salmon roe and a main course of roasted spatchcock with celeriac purée and black truffle sauce washed down with wines from Yarra Valley’s Levantine Hill Estate.

Held at 408 The Venue in South Melbourne, the 419 guests mingled over canapés, champagne and
‘Blue Thread’ cocktails with scented smoke bubble theatrically domed over each drink.

Lee, in white tie - “I thought I would stand out” - opened proceedings by asking guests to stand up.
“Remain standing if you stole stationary from work? ” he said. Whole room stayed upright.

“My god,” he uttered before ploughing through more questions to warm up the room.

An off-script bumble came when Lee introduced the president of VCCI, Brendan Britten, instead of Symes.

When she took to the stage after a few moments of confusion, Symes hoped that she and Lee would not be remembered as the “Temu Jac and Eric” - a by reference to last year’s headliners Jacinta Allan and Eric Bana.

Meanwhile, David Southwick, when he took his turn on the microphone, complimented VCCI boss Curtain on her “beautiful Liberal blue” dress.

While leading VCCI , Curtain is also an Essendon board member and for the record she insists she does not know who the new coach of Essendon will be - despite being asked by every second attendee.

Ex-Liberal candidate to run for One Nation

With the clock counting down to when One Nation will finally unveil its plans for the Victorian election campaign, CBD can reveal a fringe former Liberal candidate will be running under Pauline Hanson’s party banner.

Michael Piastrino, a hairdresser, self-appointed hype-man for Hanson’s orange wave and enthusiastic social media user, is a paid up and proud One Nation member who has been relentlessly spouting online about the party.

Pauline Hanson with One Nation member Michael Piastrino, pictured together in early 2026.

And he told CBD on Thursday he would be standing for One Nation in November.

“Yes, I am, but I can’t disclose what seat,” Piastrino said.

“When I thought I was out, they pulled me back in. Victoria needs fighters.”

The party is yet to make an official announcement about endorsed candidates. CBD contacted Warren Pickering, the party’s state president, on Thursday but did not hear back.

So, which seat would the excitable and politically ambitious hair artist Piastrino be aimed at?

Piastrino operates his Ibiza salon in Albert Park (he has a standing invite out to Hanson offering to do her hair anytime she is in Melbourne), as a Liberal he ran against former premier Daniel Andrews in the seat of Mulgrave in 2022, and he resides in Berwick, the seat held by key Liberal Brad Battin. Watch this space …

One thing for sure is don’t expect a subtle or predictable campaign from Piastrino.

Back in 2022 he was pulled up pretty quickly in his tilt for Mulgrave after making outrageous claims about Andrews and an apology was quickly forthcoming for his “inappropriate language”.

Barnaby Joyce’s 7.30 appearance sparked Dog Gate. His wife blames the ABC

One of the more bizarre subplots of Barnaby Joyce’s appearance on 7.30 this week has been Dog Gate, the swirl of conspiratorial questions over whether the dog Joyce was seen yelling at to “sit down” was even real.

For that, Joyce’s wife and former staffer, Vikki Campion, blames the ABC and Sarah Ferguson, the host of its flagship program, where she said Joyce appeared against her advice.

Barnaby Joyce yells at his dog, Stella, during a live interview on the ABC current affairs program 7.30.ABC

In a Substack post stretching more than 1300 words, Campion said the ABC’s 7.30 program would be “banned” from the couple’s property in future. Campion took aim at a “sheltered” Ferguson for later raising questions about whether the dog existed, and for opening the door for Joyce and Campion to be “crucified” for the outburst.

“Barnaby is a big boy and can take the heat. But it is one thing for Ferguson to cast a live stream into my house, and then question whether my dog exists,” Campion wrote earlier this week. “She might not have heard the barking, thanks to noise-cancelling audio, but I could.”

Regular readers of CBD will no doubt recall we needed no convincing that the dog, Stella, was real, after Joyce shared a picture of the staffy-border collie cross with us, and told us all about his young farm dog, which we brought word of in Wednesday’s column.

“The ABC constantly complains about One Nation refusing to take part in their interviews,” Campion wrote.

“Yet Barnaby yelling at a barking dog in a paddock, about 50 metres away, meant the ABC first refused her existence because the host was too sheltered by her own audio team to hear it, and then opened the way to be crucified on the network arguing it was ‘unacceptable’ to speak to a dog that way.”

Earlier this week, Joyce told us Stella still loved him, and suggested the backlash to his outburst, which drew criticism from the Victorian Animal Justice Party MP Georgie Purcell, highlighted the “regional-city divide”. But if Campion’s post is anything to go by, we aren’t likely to see Joyce beaming into 7.30 from the farm again anytime soon.

“For years, I have personally set up cameras, lights and internet connectivity to assist Sydney media to interview Barnaby, often without ever so much as a thank you. Never again,” she wrote. “ABC 7.30 is banned from my property.”

One Nation leader Pauline Hanson clearly doesn’t feel the same way. The party has started selling “Sitdown! Barnaby’s Dog Leads” merch.

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Fiona Byrne is the CBD columnist for The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect via email.