Meet the teenage Trump fanatic trying to take down Daniel Andrews - NEWS.com.au

Standing under the tin roof of Melbourne’s famous Flinders Street Station, a young Edward Bourke is dressed in a black suit and tie.

He offers advice to then-Lord Mayor of Melbourne, Robert Doyle, about what he might do to spruce the CBD up a bit.

“It always feels so dirty,” he tells a camera crew following the 15-year-old and his mother around for the day.

“Maybe that’s a tip for Robert Doyle in his new election campaign. Renovate this and bring it back up to scratch.”

This is not your typical teen. He is an avid Donald Trump supporter and coin collector. And he talks with all the self-assuredness of a seasoned political campaigner while juggling his Year 9 studies.

That footage, recorded by VICE, was captured in 2016. The video was a fun look into the life of an eccentric, polite, super impressive and intelligent young man.

Fast forward four years and the Trump fanatic is a student at Oxford University and is trying his hand at his own brand of right-wing conservative politics.

Bourke is behind Victoria Forward, a heavily-stylised movement that uses Facebook as its main weapon to drive dissent about Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews.

The page, which has more than 15,000 followers, shares updates daily about the state of politics in Victoria where Mr Andrews is hugely popular albeit under fire for his handling of the coronavirus pandemic.

The updates jump off the page: “HEAVY-HANDED PREMIER SLAMMED.” “SELLING US OUT.” “PROTECT OUR FREEDOM.” “LABOR GREED.” “ANDREWS REFUSES TO RESIGN.”

But what is not immediately clear to those whose Facebook feeds are littered with Victoria Forward content is that the movement — and Bourke himself — are linked to the Victorian Liberal Party.

As Gizmodo first reported this week, Bourke started a new job with the party’s Sunbury branch in December last year.

On Facebook, Bourke wrote that he was “really looking forward to working with everyone and getting things done”. A month later, Victoria Forward emerged.

The Facebook page also names as administrator Stephanie Bastiaan, who is married to ex-Victorian Liberal powerbroker Marcus Bastiaan — a man who resigned from the party last week amid branch stacking allegations.

A young man named Jaius Rhyon is also involved as a researcher.

But Bourke is the brains behind the operation. He describes himself on the website for 470 Bourke — a “Melbourne based government relations firm” — as “a seasoned political campaigner, activist, and strategist who has a history of success in his political predictions, comments and strategies”.

The website reads: “Although young, Edward has had considerable experience running political and non-profit campaigns and comes from a significant political family.

“From building leading non-profits at the age of just 14 to running successful global political campaigns at the age of just 15 and continuing to do so for the successive years right up until today. This has made Edward sought-after by the media and organisations alike.”

Part of the teen’s efforts to take down Mr Andrews are linked to a fundraising drive on the Victoria Forward website. It asks donors to “DITCH DICTATOR DAN”.

“Premier Andrews and his government have led a campaign to undermine and future of Victorians, and systematically destroyed the fabric of our state,” the fundraising links reads.

“The response to the COVID-19 crisis has been a disaster: hundreds are dead and thousands are facing economic devastation. This is unacceptable. It’s time to ditch Dan!”

It is not clear exactly where the funds go, but Victoria Forward has spent considerable money on sponsored ads on Facebook.

Speaking with news.com.au, Bourke said the inspiration behind the group was “the feeling within the community that Victorians are becoming increasingly voiceless under the current government”.

He said the style and structure of “United States political action committees is very effective, and I hope to prove that those strategies also translate well in Victoria”.

“However, the core reason Victoria Forward exists is because I love Victoria and truly care about the Victorian people.

“Victoria is worth fighting for, and Victorians must be advocated for.”

Asked whether it was clear enough that Victoria Forward was linked to the Victorian Liberal Party, Bourke said: “My membership of the Victorian Liberal Party has been public information since Victoria Forward was founded. Additionally, the topic of my conservative values is addressed clearly on Victoria Forward’s website.”

Bourke told news.com.au: “Victoria Forward has never received any financial or organisational support from the Liberal Party.”

He said Mr Andrews’ handling of the pandemic has been a “failure”.

“I would describe Premier Andrews’ handling of the coronavirus pandemic as, quite simply, a failure.

“The Premier has failed to effectively manage hotel quarantine, failed to be accountable, and failed to protect the Victorian people.”

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2020-08-29 06:02:02Z
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