Is Bec Judd considering a political move?
The AFL WAG and Melbourne businesswoman raised eyebrows when she was seen breaking bread with a group of conservative Australian power brokers on Thursday evening.
Sky News commentator Rita Panahi shared a series of photos with Judd, 41, and Country Liberal Party senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price, who became a national figure when she crusaded against an indigenous voice in parliament last year.
They were joined in cheerful snaps by PR guru James Radford – former PR gun for West Australian mining magnate Gina Rinehart – and wealthy Melbourne thrush Kathy Garnaut.
“Thanks for being my dinner buddies,” Judd said in an Instagram post.
The famous faces were among 375 people who gathered for a meeting organized by the right-wing lobby group the Institute of Public Affairs, which campaigns for conservative economic and political principles.
Former Prime Minister Tony Abbott and former Donald Trump aide Mick Mulvaney were also in attendance.
AFL WAG Bec Judd (right) was last night spotted breaking bread with conservative Sky News commentator Rita Panahi and former Gina Rinehart PR firebrand James Radford
Also present at the dinner was Senator Jacinta Price of the Country Liberal Party, who made a splash on the national stage last year by campaigning against the Indigenous Voice.
Judd has become increasingly outspoken on political matters since the Covid pandemic, when she was highly critical of Melbourne’s long lockdown and dismissed then-Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews as ‘Dictator Dan’.
She publicly clashed with Mr Andrews in May 2022 over the crime rate near her suburb in the city’s Bayside district, claiming the state government ‘didn’t seem to care’.
“I’m so sick of the gang rapes, assaults and home invasions in Bayside,” she fumed. ‘We feel unsafe’.
Mr Andrews slammed Judd’s attack, saying he was ‘not interested in arguing’ with her. He then did just that, claiming that independent crime statistics refuted her “sweeping assessments about crime patterns.”
Judd has continued to speak out on crime and justice issues this year, describing Melbourne as “woke, broke and violent”.
Judd with Panahi and Melbourne richlist Kathy Garnaut
Judd with former footy star Chris Judd at the Brownlow Awards last month
She recently criticized Andrews’ successor, Jacinta Allan, for “staying silent as we wondered whether a gang of machete-wielding youths would break into our homes while our children sleep.”
Victoria Police pushed back on Judd’s claims, claiming Bayside was one of Melbourne’s safest places to live, pointing to statistics showing it had the third lowest level of criminal offenses in the city.
Judd has worked in the fashion industry and as a model and TV presenter. She has four children with her husband, former West Coast Eagles and Carlton captain Chris Judd.
Ny Breaking Australia asked Judd and the IPA for comment.
