Far-Right Figure Disrupts Kooyong Candidates Forum, Prompting Audience Clash
A well-known figure from Melbourne’s far-right scene disrupted a candidates forum in the federal seat of Kooyong on Wednesday evening, sparking heated confrontations with audience members.
The event, held at the Kew Library in Melbourne’s southeast and organised by a group supporting the ABC, was interrupted when Matt Trihey entered the venue with a cameraman and began loudly voicing views on immigration and crime.
Audience members quickly reacted, shouting back at Trihey. One woman attempted to punch him before being escorted away. Trihey, wearing a T-shirt bearing the logo of the white supremacist group he founded, the National Workers Alliance, continued shouting as he slowly exited the venue.
Victoria Police confirmed they were called to the scene but said the three men who disrupted the meeting had already left by the time officers arrived. No formal complaints have been made, though an investigation is ongoing.
Independent MP Monique Ryan, who currently holds the seat of Kooyong, spoke about the incident on ABC Radio the next morning. She described the woman who threw the punch as a frail “little lady” who appeared distressed and later regretted her actions.
Ryan condemned the disruption as senseless and provocative.
“It was just stupid, pointless posturing by right-wing bullies,” she said. “We managed to get them out eventually, but it took some time.”
Footage of the incident was later shared online by an ‘independent journalist’ with 28,000 followers on X (formerly Twitter), who often posts about the ethnic background of criminal offenders.
Trihey, who has previously appeared at public events with neo-Nazi Blair Cottrell, has a history of far-right activism.
The Kooyong electorate, historically a Liberal stronghold, was claimed by Ryan in 2022 when she defeated former Treasurer Josh Frydenberg. The area includes some of Melbourne’s wealthiest suburbs and is located a short distance from the CBD.
