On Wednesday 19 June 2013, in a rare sign of unity, members of Parliament from all political sides frocked up alongside journalists and leaders of business to raise money for charity and celebrate the year that was. The event featured an address from the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition as well as an online auction run by eBay.
As with previous years, eBay and PayPal were gold sponsors and hosted a number of tables, which gave us the opportunity to both showcase our company and to host a number of key stakeholders in a relaxed environment.
This year John Donahoe provided a personal written message to guests. Jeff Clementz, VP and Managing Director of PayPal Australia, led the journey to Canberra with members of the Corporate Affairs / Government Relations Team, to host a number of high profile Members of the Australian Parliament.
Some of these high profile politicians included the newly appointed Treasurer of Australian Chris Bowen, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Joel Fitzgibbon, recently promoted Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister and Parliamentary Secretary for Broadband Ed Husic, Bruce Billson, the Shadow Minister for Small Business, Competition Policy and Consumer Affairs, and the Federal Member for Bradfield Paul Fletcher. Our guests also included Senators, senior staffers, and industry association leaders.
Over 600 people attended the 2013 ball and many not-for-profit organisations benefited from the generosity of so many people both present at the ball and online. These organisations included:
- Spinal Cure Australia - $100,000
- Lifeline - $100,000
- MS Society of the ACT - $30,000
- Inspire Foundation - $30,000
- Red Cross ACT - $25,000
- Indigenous Reading Project - $20,000
