‘This is a joke’: Farcical scenes as Deves ushered into pub event

Voters and Liberal Party members were kept waiting more than 45 minutes to meet controversial candidate Katherine Deves on Friday night as advisers schemed for her to avoid the media waiting at the Forestville RSL.

The event, with Liberal MP for Mackellar Jason Falinski, was billed as a “politics in the pub” style evening where journalists would ordinarily be welcome, but reporters and photographers were informed Deves would not enter the room under any circumstances if the media was present.

Liberal candidate for Warringah Katherine Deves enters the Forestville RSL for an event on Friday night.Credit:James Alcock

A compromise of sorts was reached: Deves could be photographed outside the RSL, where she would pause momentarily to make a statement and perhaps take one or two questions. That was quickly downgraded to a short statement only.

Veteran journalist Brad Norington, an associate editor at The Australian, made his displeasure known to Falinski’s adviser. “Is this an open democracy?” he asked. “Is she a candidate or not? This is a joke.”

With the media assembled at the RSL’s doors, Deves finally arrived at 6.15pm in the back seat of an SUV. She was driven straight to the entrance; the door was opened for her and she approached the waiting cameras donned in a black double-breasted coat adorned with a dark blue corsage.

“I have fought for women and children, and now I’m fighting for Warringah,” she said. “Thank you all for coming along tonight. I am looking forward to campaigning hard over the next four weeks on the issues that affect the people in Warringah.”

Katherine Deves is escorted into the Forestville RSL by adviser James Flynn for a campaign event.Credit:James Alcock

With that, Deves was immediately escorted inside by her campaign adviser James Flynn, a conservative Liberal operative who was once a staffer to state Liberal minister Anthony Roberts. She did not take any questions.

Deves was later joined by barrister Bridie Nolan, whose role in the campaign remains unclear but who has accompanied Deves to several events. Nolan is married to Warringah MP Zali Steggall’s ex-husband David Cameron.