Thursday, 5 October 2023

Australian Electoral Commission

Nicholas McGOWAN (North-Eastern Metropolitan) (18:34): (496) Has the world gone mad? It appears it has. We trust in our institutions that they will guide us, particularly in a democracy and particularly when we need an adjudicator, and yet the AEC appear to have done quite the opposite. I was aghast to see very recently online that the AEC gave some advice in respect to the referendum we will have in nine days from now. Nine days from now, Australians will be asked a critical question about whether we want to have a race-based society or not. My answer to that is a categorical no. The AEC, the Australian Electoral Commission, is the institution we trust to run that election. It is an important election; I think there would be no dissent about that. I will read out their response on social media when asked whether people can in fact vote once or twice or more:

If someone votes at two different polling places within their electorate, and places their formal vote in the ballot box at each polling place, their vote is counted.

This is real. This is not a prank. This is not fake news. This is absolutely stunning and alarming. Furthermore – every Australian should understand this, this tweet by the AEC – nowhere do they actually point out the illegality of doing such. So reckless is their behaviour that nowhere do they point this out. This has been retweeted 700,000 times, so close to a million Australians –

Ingrid Stitt: On a point of order, President, I am sorry to cut you off mid-flow there, Mr McGowan, but can you just clarify for me which minister you are directing this to?

Nicholas McGOWAN: The Premier.

Bev McArthur: The top of the tree.

Nicholas McGOWAN: The top of the tree; that is right. Not once, not twice, but 700,000 times this tweet has been retweeted. It is absolutely stunning. It is alarming, encouraging criminal behaviour in one of the most important referenda this country has faced – in my lifetime, at least. Furthermore, and this should alarm Australians and Victorians even more, Meryl Swanson, an MP – yes, a Labor MP – in a tweet she has now been forced to edit by the AEC, the same people who made the first tweet, actually had a hashtag – wait for it – #VoteOften. Vote often! I mean, this is strategic. This is rorting the referendum. It is a disgrace.

The action I seek – and I know the President is eagerly awaiting this – is for the Premier to assure the Victorian people that there are no members of caucus that are likewise encouraging Victorians to vote often, number one. Further, will the Premier join with me in condemning the federal member Meryl Swanson for her tweet intimating, much less encouraging online, that people should vote more than once? They should vote only once.

The PRESIDENT: I can live with the action about the Premier encouraging the caucus not to encourage people to vote fraudulently, whether it is yes or no.