An environmentalist, an economist and a cellist walked into a room.

No, it’s not the build-up for a joke, but that’s what happened when Jack Gough , chief executive of the Invasive Species Council, broke bread on Tuesday night with Treasurer Jim Chalmers and Finance Minister Katy Gallagher , who before she got into politics did a mean turn on a cello.

Just to catch you up, Gough made a $13,051 winning bid for a private dinner with Chalmers et al during a charity auction at parliament’s Midwinter Ball.

So how did it all go? The man defending Australia from fire ants, feral deer and other environmental pests told CBD it was a blast.

“They stayed until 9.30pm – and the staffers longer! And really surprisingly treated it very seriously – there was no brush-off.”

Before the dinner, a

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