Brazen lies, ballot box bullies among election antics
Dominic Giannini |
Misinformation during Australia’s election is being spurred by right-wing trolls, raising concerns about integrity.
Prominent accounts with a high number of followers “constantly, shamelessly post nonsense about preferential voting”, election analyst Kevin Bonham said.
“They’re usually not bots, it’s particularly right-wing accounts that are outside the Liberal Party mainstream, the sort of Sky News-oriented types, some of the supporters of minor right parties,” he told an inquiry into the 2025 federal election.
Greens deputy convenor Jonathan Parry attributed more brazen misinformation to a lack of consequences without laws on truth in political advertising.
Mr Parry called for big money to be removed from politics and donation bans on sectors seeking political influence including gambling, fossil fuels, banking, pharmaceuticals, defence, alcohol and property development.
“The perception of trading money for favours or clientelism is really ripe and it needs to essentially be cut off at any possible opportunity,” he said.
The Greens deputy convenor spoke of intimidation tactics at polling booths, with a volunteer from another party coming and standing over him at the federal election in May.
Independent MP Helen Haines also expressed concerns about violence, saying one booth required a police presence.
“It was dangerous and our volunteers did not wish to return to that polling booth because they felt so threatened,” she said.
Independent colleague Nicolette Boele, who won the Sydney seat of Bradfield from the Liberals, said she had to hire private security.
The inquiry is also reviewing whether to expand the federal parliament as Australia’s population grows and MPs are responsible for more constituents.
Independent ACT senator David Pocock said Senate seats for territories should be a ratio close to half the number of seats states have.
This would give the territories about six seats, with half going up at each election for six-year terms, similar to the states.
Dr Bonham said if territories received four seats, which is what Labor has pledged, they should all be up for election at the same time and not staggered as states are.
“They’re still voting in these impoverished two-seat elections,” he said.
Dr Bonham flagged a potential expansion to 14 or 16 senators per state, up from 12, which would necessitate dozens of new House seats because of proportions required by the constitution between the upper and lower houses.
More MPs would be better for community engagement, the inquiry was told by electoral analyst Ben Raue who runs The Tally Room website.
It would also widen the talent pool, he said.
“There’s a limited relationship between the talent of the individual and whether they get elected,” he said, pointing to parties doing poorly or candidates pre-selected in tight seats.
The priority should be to better resource MPs, Senator Pocock said, as crossbenchers called for staff allocations to be depoliticised with it now at the behest of the prime minister.
A three-year cycle was an international anomaly and cost the economy because of uncertainty, the inquiry was told.
Public and private sectors paused big investments and decisions until after an election, stymieing economic growth, 4 Year Terms Australia founder Marty Gray said.
A change to four-year fixed terms could add $60 billion in productivity benefits over two decades, he calculated.
AAP
