Politicians' night out turns ugly at Canberra Sports Bar
A Sydney-based football club in Canberra became the scene of an unexpected political flashpoint this week when a group of Coalition MPs watching the NRL State of Origin clash found themselves caught up in a rowdy confrontation with patrons at the Eastlake Football Club in Kingston.
According to Sky News, which captured footage of the incident, Nationals MP and former Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack became embroiled in a heated altercation with a tradie outside the venue as the evening deteriorated following the match.
The trouble reportedly began during the game, when a group of tradespeople from the Central Coast began disrupting the atmosphere inside the club, where right-faction Coalition MPs had gathered to watch the game. A Queensland supporter allegedly directed expletives at Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, apparently under the mistaken impression that the politicians present were connected to the government.
Several MPs left early as concerns the situation could escalate grew.
After the final whistle, McCormack stepped outside to confront one of the men who was allegedly attempting to urinate near the venue's entrance — in full view of other patrons leaving the club.
Speaking to Sky News, McCormack said he had first requested staff remove the man from the premises, describing him as "totally out of control."
"At the end of the game he was threatening to expose himself in the club. I went outside, the bloke followed. He started to abuse me. He then started to urinate, wanted to urinate, right near the steps. And I said, mate, there's women going come out of the club … you can't do that here. You just can't do that here. At which point he, yeah, halfway through the process was going to wanna take my head off."
Liberal MP Tony Pasin intervened to help defuse the situation as the confrontation intensified.
McCormack defended his decision to step in rather than walk away, framing it as a matter of standards in public spaces.
"The standard you set is, if you walk past, that's the standard you set. If you let that behaviour go unchallenged … then that's the behaviour that you accept, "McCormack said.
Jonathan Jackson, 1st June 2026
