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 current Victorian state Liberal president and fellow Liberal powerbroker Michael Kroger.^[3][4]

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]

Bastiaan has been viewed as a potential successor to Michael Kroger as Victorian Liberal Party President.^[15]

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]}

Personal life

Bastiaan married Stephanie Ross in May 2017 at the Catholic church Our Lady of Victories Basilica, Camberwell; the couple have a daughter. Bastiaan graduated from Brighton Grammar during 2008, attending there after moving back to Brighton from Merricks North, where he lived on a farm. Bastiaan attended multiple universities before completing a Bachelor of Film and Television at Swinburne University in 2014.^[21] 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