Comments on: Can the Greens challenge the result?

By: Graham Young

Graham Young — Sun, 03 Dec 2006 12:48:35 +0000

Peter, that would explain how it could have deteriorated so much. However, I wouldn’t be surprised if it had been at 40% at some stage. Pity that the newspapers don’t take the whole polling thing more seriously and commission polls in some of these seats so that we can get a proper look at what is going on!

By: Peter Fuller

Peter Fuller — Fri, 01 Dec 2006 20:30:15 +0000

Graham,
The poll you alluded to in your original comment probably doesn’t exist. Its provenance was a report in the Age (about a week before the election iirc, but I can’t be more precise) quoting leaked Labor polling.
I recall either you or Mark making some observations about this tactic of selective leaking of what purported to be Labor internal polling being used in Queensland to firm up the Labor vote in certain electorates. I’m pretty sure that the “Greens 40% in Melbourne” is of a piece with this practice.

By: Anna Winter

Anna Winter — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 11:52:27 +0000

I think a penalty point is around $110 at the moment. That’s Federally, I don’t know if it differs at a state level, though.

By: Graham Young

Graham Young — Wed, 29 Nov 2006 15:01:19 +0000

So a successful prosecution could cost the ALP $33,000. I wonder if that is per offence. Could be expensive.

By: Patrizia Bertozzi

Patrizia Bertozzi — Wed, 29 Nov 2006 14:45:00 +0000

To add insult to injury, Peter Garrett sent scare-mongering personalised letters to voters living in Northcote and parts of Preston warning voters not to vote Green or they might vote to elect a Liberal Party. My partner’s father received one of these letters and was left feeling bewildered and concerned, being someone intensely opposed to the Liberals.
However, the slander and stand over tactics didn’t end there. I was handing Green ‘How to Vote’ cards at Newlands Primary School and, out of left field, one of the men handing ALP how to vote cards started verbally attacking me, swearing and carrying on because I was, according to him, ‘helping the Liberals to get in”! I was left feeling quite alarmed and scared by his aggressive verbal abuse, especially as I had been conversing politely with him earlier on and the atmosphere was relatively amicable. The irony did not escape me that he was wearing a black shirt and cap – a fleeting thought made me wonder whether he was going to beat me up in a back lane – blackshirt fascist style – after 6.00pm.

By: Sylvia Else

Sylvia Else — Wed, 29 Nov 2006 14:30:27 +0000

Graham
That section simply states that issuing false or misleading statements is something that must not be done.
Thus, despite the common belief that politicians will not always tell the truth, there are limits on what they can get away with during elections.
It would appear to me that there is indeed a case that the result of the election has been affected by conduct that amounts to an offence, so the Greens might get the result overturned.
BTW, a penalty unit is simply a reference to an amount of money that can be adjusted from time to time to keep up with inflation. It avoids having to amend large numbers of acts and regulations to keep penalties current. The value of a penalty unit (in Victoria) is currently $110, I believe.

By: Graham Young

Graham Young — Wed, 29 Nov 2006 11:55:25 +0000

Nothing about a re-election there Sylvia. I wonder what a “penalty point” is? And who has to launch the prosecution? Is it the electoral commission?

By: Sylvia Else

Sylvia Else — Wed, 29 Nov 2006 11:28:17 +0000

Well, there’s this
http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/vic/consol_act/ea2002103/s84.html
Sylvia.

By: Nicholas Gruen

Nicholas Gruen — Wed, 29 Nov 2006 10:04:16 +0000

Thanks for spelling this out Graham. I was rather taken aback with what went on. Peter Garrett was roped into the mix as well signing letters with the same misleading spin.

By: wbb

wbb — Tue, 28 Nov 2006 23:16:40 +0000

Brilliant post, Graham. To help out with your suggested poll, friends of ours told me as they came thru the door to watch Anthony Green dance upon the keyboard, that they’d voted ALP this time, becuase they could never vote for a party preferencing the Libs.