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A photo of two female politicians from rival parties posing together has sparked outrage among their peers.
Late on Saturday night, Zoe McKenzie, Liberal MP for Flinders in Victoria, posted a photo of herself with Labor’s Jodie Belyea, who won that day’s by-election for the neighboring seat of Dunkley, after much help from Anthony Albanese.
The image posted was intended to be a show of respect from two women occupying seats on the Mornington Peninsula, on the outer edge of Melbourne.
“You have been a good friend to women across the Mornington Peninsula,” McKenzie wrote in her 10:30 p.m. message.
‘We look forward to working with you to care for paradise!’
The act of goodwill did not go down well with some of McKenzie’s colleagues, who called it “inexcusable” and “naive” when the Liberals are “at war” with Labor.
A photo of two female politicians together has caused shock, outrage, insults and rumors that the main parties are at “war” with each other. Labour’s Jodie Belyea (left) is pictured with Liberal Zoe McKenzie.
A senior colleague of Ms McKenzie said The Australian the photo was “an absolute act of naivety.”
Another said he had been “baffled” by the image.
“To say that the anger within the ranks is palpable would be an understatement,” they said.
A third said the friendship shown would cause problems when trying to unseat Belyea in the next federal election, likely to be held in May 2025.
‘We are at war with the Labor Party. “To think that this new generation of liberals thinks otherwise is infuriating,” they said.
To further complicate matters, Ms McKenzie’s husband, Rodrigo Pintos López, has just resigned as chief of staff to Victorian Liberal leader John Pesutto.
A liberal source said the photo showed “zero political judgment” and a “naivete” that needed to be addressed.
“The most generous thing that can be said is that it is a naive act,” they said.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted McKenzie and Belyea for comment.
ABC election analyst Antony Green called the Dunkley seat for Labor on Saturday night.
Jodie Belyea (pictured right) won Saturday’s by-election for the Victorian seat of Dunkley, after much help from Premier Anthony Albanese (pictured left)
The opposition pinned their hopes on Frankston City Council mayor Nathan Conroy running for the Liberal Party, but the 3.8 per cent swing he achieved was not enough to secure the seat.
Albanese made an early appearance at a polling station on Saturday, his 61st birthday, along with Belyea and his fiancée, Jodie Haydon.
“What I want for my birthday is obvious today, which is a win for Jodie Belyea,” Albanese told reporters.
The cost of living was front and center in the campaign, with Albanese talking about a bigger tax cut for low- and middle-income earners under the government’s revamped tax package.