Political opposites who surprised Canberra with their secret romance go public at Midwinter Ball after weeks of ‘hurtful gossip and speculation’

One of the most unlikely political pairings in recent history is about to make their romance public with a joint appearance at the Midwinter Ball in Canberra.

Although Victorian state MP Georgie Purcell and federal MP Josh Burns both come from left-wing parties – Animal Justice Party (AJP) and Labor respectively – it is their opposing views on the Middle East that have raised so many eyebrows.

Mr. Burns, 37, is Jewish, a Zionist and a very prominent supporter of Israel, while Ms. Purcell, 31, is a pro-Palestinian activist who regularly appears at protest marches.

Their presence at the ball should put an end to what they have been calling ‘harmful gossip and speculation’ about their relationship for weeks.

Ms Purcell, a former stripper with multiple tattoos, has almost 200,000 followers on Instagram, where she regularly posts about Palestine.

Although the couple have now gone public, including posting a selfie together, the AJP MP has asked for some privacy over her relationship with the rising Labour star.

“I give more of myself to public life than most politicians, whether it’s my past in the sex industry, my abortion experience or my mental health issues – and that takes its toll,” she told the Herald Sun.

“Victorians have the right to judge my policies and my voting record, but I just ask for some privacy in the parts of my private life that I don’t want to share.”

One of the most unlikely political pairings in recent history is about to make their romance public by attending the Midwinter Ball together in Canberra next week. Pictured are Victorian MP Georgie Purcell and Federal MP Josh Burns

Mr Burns, 37, is Jewish, a Zionist and a very prominent supporter of Israel, while Ms Purcell (pictured), 31, is a pro-Palestinian activist who regularly attends protest marches.

It comes after Burns’ election office in St Kilda was set on fire and windows smashed in what the MP called a ‘politically motivated attack’.

The walls of the building were covered in red paint and graffiti with a slogan that read: “Zionism is fascism.” Zionism refers to the ideology that Jews have the right to their own state in their ancestral homeland of Israel.

It was the latest in a series of vandalism targeting the offices of state and federal MPs in the wake of the Gaza conflict.

But Mr Burns said he and Ms Purcell can agree on the issue, despite their apparently distant positions.

“We agree on so much and we talk about the rest. I respect her and she respects me. “We agree on what is important: we want peace and an end to violence,” he said.

Ms Purcell, the youngest woman in an Australian parliament and the second youngest ever elected to the Victorian Legislative Council, recently posted on Instagram that she had “met someone special” who she “can’t stop thinking about”.

It has now been revealed that this is Mr. Burns.

This comes after Mr Burns’ electoral office in St Kilda (pictured) was set on fire and windows smashed in what the MP called a ‘politically motivated attack’.

The couple’s reference to “harmful gossip and speculation” may refer to a thinly veiled account of the beginning of their romance that appeared last month in an advice column for News Corp. parenting website Kidspot.

A woman who identified herself as A Sydney Mum told the publication about a single father she called “Joe” with whom she was in a relationship.

“Joe was very open about wanting to have another baby with me,” she wrote. “We talked and planned the merging of our families.

‘Just two nights before we had gone out and were talking about our plans for the future. He told me he had never been happier and that I was everything he wanted in a partner.”

Joe met her children after they first spoke to him on the phone so the children could “get familiar with his voice.”

Ms Purcell (pictured) is the youngest woman in any Australian parliament and the second youngest woman ever 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 her and the relationship ended.

“I was angry that he had misled me, but I was furious that he had misled my children,” she wrote.

The Australian reported that it had determined on “impeccable authority” that Joe is a pseudonym for Josh Burns.

Daily Mail Australia is not suggesting Mr Burns is the man referred to as Joe.

Mr Burns has been contacted for comment.