One of the most unlikely political couples in recent memory is about to go public with their romance with a joint appearance at Canberra’s Midwinter Ball.
Although Victorian state MP Georgie Purcell and federal MP Josh Burns belong to left-wing parties (the Animal Justice Party (AJP) and the Labor Party, respectively), their opposing views on the Middle East This is what has sparked so much surprise.
Mr Burns, 37, is Jewish, a Zionist and a prominent supporter of Israel, while Ms Purcell, 31, is a pro-Palestinian activist who regularly takes part in protest marches.
Their appearance at the ball is designed to end what they say has been weeks of “damaging gossip and speculation” about their relationship.
Purcell, a former stripper with multiple tattoos, has almost 200,000 followers on Instagram, where she posts regularly about Palestine.
Although the couple are now going public, including posting a selfie together, the AJP MP has asked for some privacy over her relationship with the rising Labor star.
“I give myself more to public life than most politicians, whether it’s because of my past in sex work, my experience with abortion or my suffering from mental health problems, and that takes its toll,” she told the BBC. Herald of the Sun.
‘Victorians have a right to judge my politics and voting record, but all I ask is for some privacy in the parts of my personal life that I choose not to share.’
One of the most unlikely political couples of recent times is about to go public with their romance by attending next week’s Midwinter Ball together in Canberra. Pictured are Victorian State MP Georgie Purcell and Federal MP Josh Burns.
Burns, 37, is Jewish, Zionist and a very prominent supporter of Israel, while Purcell (pictured), 31, is a pro-Palestinian activist, regularly seen at protest marches.
It comes after Burns’ St Kilda constituency office was torched and windows smashed in what the MP called a “politically motivated attack”.
The walls of the building were covered in red paint and painted with the slogan “Zionism is Fascism.” Zionism refers to the ideology that Jews deserve their own state in their ancestral land of Israel.
This is the latest in a series of acts of vandalism against the offices of state and federal deputies in the wake of the conflict in Gaza.
But Burns said he and Purcell can find common ground on the issue, despite their seemingly distant views.
“We agree on many things and we talk about the rest. I respect her and she respects me. We agree on what is important: we want peace and the end of violence,” he said.
Ms Purcell, the youngest woman in any Australian parliament and the second-youngest to be elected to the Victorian Legislative Council, recently posted on Instagram that she “met someone special” who she “can’t stop thinking about”.
It has now been revealed that this is Mr. Burns.
This comes after Burns’ St Kilda constituency office (pictured) was torched and windows smashed in what the MP called a “politically motivated attack”.
The couple’s reference to “damaging gossip and speculation” may allude to a thinly veiled account of the beginning of their romance that appeared in an advice column for News Corp’s parenting website Kidspot last month.
A woman who identified herself as A Sydney Mum told the publication about a single father she called “Joe” and whom she had been dating.
“Joe was very upfront about wanting to have another baby with me,” she wrote. “We talked and planned to merge our families.
‘Only two nights before we had gone out and talked about our plans for the future. ‘She told me she had never been happier and that I was everything she had ever wanted in a partner.’
Joe met his children after speaking to him on the phone, so the children could “get familiar with his voice.”
Ms Purcell (pictured) is the youngest woman to serve in any Australian parliament and the second youngest to be elected to the Victorian Legislative Council.
Taking to Instagram, the 31-year-old shared a short clip to reveal that she recently “met someone special” who she “can’t stop thinking about.”
But then the women claimed that Joe ignored them and the relationship ended.
“I was upset that he had cheated on me, but I was furious that he had cheated on my children,” she wrote.
The Australian reported that he had “impeccable authority” that Joe is a pseudonym for Josh Burns.
Daily Mail Australia does not suggest that Mr Burns is the man referred to as Joe.
Mr Burns has been contacted for comment.