Friendship can take you to some funny places.
But of all the places, I never thought it would take me into the heart of a federal election campaign. A savage, bruising and bloody campaign. And yet there I was, right in the guts of it with my best friend by my side, and not just as my best friend – but as my boss.
Funny places indeed.
You never forget where you meet a special friend – your brain takes a note, it keeps the memory safe, it keeps it close. It keeps it vivid.
I first met Zoe Daniel in the summer of 1991 – it was our first day of university and I was wearing my Rosie the Riveter t-shirt (which tells you everything you need to know about me).
Our lecturer made a special point of welcoming her, the girl from Tasmania who had come to study journalism in my hometown of Adelaide. I remember turning around and giving her a warm smile – and having no idea that my look of curiosity was to be the start of a beautiful friendship.
To put ourselves through Uni we worked the grind of seedy bars and restaurants, and in doing so formed a bond as strong as Thelma and Louise. For fun we inflicted our love of karaoke on others – ears bled across the City of Churches as we reached for the high notes of our go-to Australian rock anthems. Laughing, dancing and singing. A template was set.
After our studies we watched each other grow up as life took hold. We watched each other’s journalism career take shape, met partners, became mothers, introduced babies and proudly showed off first steps – the friendship held strong, but the catchups were less frequent. Which is often the way it goes – especially when your friend becomes a foreign correspondent.
Fast forward to 2021.
I was standing under the old Moreton Bay Fig near the local primary school when Zoe called.
For the past three months she’d been weighing up whether to run as an Independent for the seat of Goldstein, and as the person who’d put her name forward, I was eagerly awaiting her news. I was excited, and nervous for my friend. Having studied politics, I was going to watch this closely – but really, I had no idea of just how close that would be!
I put my creative life on hold and worked on Zoe’s 2022 campaign. It would be fascinating to get an insider’s view on the rise of the community independents movement. I was more than happy to devote five months to the process as this was something I believed in – and I knew I would go back to my own work once it was over, regardless of the result.
After her victory Zoe asked if I would stay on as her right-hand woman – you got me into this Pip…
As persuasive as she was, I wasn’t sure. I knew it would be a pressure cooker environment with a lot of time in Canberra away from my partner and young son. And there was a theme occurring in the advice I took on board – plenty of furrowed brows telling me not to work with my friend if I wanted to keep the friendship.
In the end it was an easy decision. I believed in Zoe.
The 2025 campaign was brutal.
Zoe was the target of a coordinated effort to smear her through misinformation, disinformation and personal attacks. Third parties spread deceitful material, hate and division. I saw her spat on, abused, threatened, stalked and doxed.
Politics can be a ‘dirty business’ but this was so much more than that.
After a partial recount granted by the Australian Electoral Commission, it came down to just a handful votes.
Having had a chance to reflect over this past month, the overwhelming feeling I have is one of pride.
It’s been incredibly rewarding to work on issues that matter to families in the community and across the nation – family and domestic violence (which takes up more than half the daily police caseload in Goldstein); the hidden epidemic of eating disorders; the dangers of social media and the lack of responsibility taken by tech companies to keep their platforms safe; and early childhood education and care.
When I started writing this, I wanted to write something about enduring friendship – I didn’t intend it to be a love letter… but of course that’s what it is.
The Greek tragedian Euripides was right when he said, “One loyal friend is worth ten thousand relatives.”
We’ve had each other’s back.
A lot has happened since I turned around in that lecture theatre 34 years ago. I’m glad I got to do politics with Zoe – and it says a lot that the whole experience has made our friendship even stronger.
Titanium.
I’m proud of my friend and I’m proud of all the work she’s done. She conducted herself, with honesty, integrity and respect. Standing alongside her has been a privilege.
Do I regret celebrating victory on election night after it was called by several media outlets? Do I regret laughing, dancing and singing? Do I regret one of the best parties of my life?
Not for a milli-second.
And although this may look like a good place to put a full stop, as with all great friendships, I think there are still a few more chapters to write…
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