Peta Credlin nomination divides Alexandra Club

At Melbourne’s regal female-only Alexandra Club, which has for 120 years sheltered the city’s poshest and most blue-blooded female inhabitants, trouble has brewed all year about the nomination of one Peta Credlin, of Abbott government and Sky News fame.

The once all-powerful political operator and now right-wing TV star tried to join mid-year, but the nomination was withdrawn after internal opposition. She tried again, and on her second attempt has succeeded, as first reported in the Herald Sun. But not without putting a few noses out of joint.

Standing behind Credlin’s nomination, we’re told, were a coterie of powerful Liberal women, the most well-known of whom include Victoria’s opposition health spokeswoman, Georgie Crozier, former state Liberal vice president Bayse Thomas, and former parliamentarian Andrea Coote. All Victorian Liberal royalty, to be sure.

But her nomination provoked profound unease among more small “l” parts of the membership, who viewed Credlin as a divisive figure. We’re told some two dozen members lodged formal objections to her nomination, but were overruled by the committee last week, to no small amount of disgruntlement.

Credlin’s supporters have been telling sceptics for weeks that she’s just a misunderstood country girl. Others say it would be a brave woman who gets in her way.