Independent Senate candidate David Pocock has written to the Australian Electoral Commission requesting that Advance Australia, a conservative political advocacy group, be prosecuted for a “flagrant breach” of Australian electoral law.
Mr Pocock lodged a complaint with the AEC last month after Advance Australia’s corflutes and roadside billboard election advertising in Canberra falsely depicted him as an “undercover Green”.
“I am not, and have never been, a member of the Greens, nor endorsed as their candidate,” Mr Pocock said.
“I am running as a community-endorsed independent candidate to represent all people in the ACT, and give our community a voice on the issues that matter to us.
“I want us to stop missing out on our fair share of funding, and have the right to decide and debate the issues that matter most to our community.”
The AEC found that Advance Australia’s advertisements targeting Mr Pocock breached section 329 of the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918:
“A person shall not, during the relevant period in relation to an election under this Act, print, publish or distribute, or cause, permit or authorize to be printed, published or distributed, any matter or thing that is likely to mislead or deceive an elector in relation to the casting of a vote.”
Mr Pocock welcomed the findings, but said he was disappointed it took more than three weeks for the AEC to reach their decision.
He lodged a complaint with the AEC on 26 April. But by now, he said, more than 40,000 Canberrans have already voted at pre-poll, and another 12,000 by postal.
Mr Pocock said his office had received hundreds of emails, calls, and messages from Canberrans “outraged and confused by Advance Australia’s false and misleading advertising”.
“This behaviour from Advance Australia is corrosive for our democracy, and underscores how critical it is that we have federal truth in political advertising laws, backed up by serious penalties, something I have been calling for over many years.
“It says a lot about my opponents that they are relying on false and misleading advertising to try to scare people instead of presenting their own ideas for the future of our great city.
“We have had enough. Canberrans want truth, integrity, and accountability. Someone who is accessible, truly represents them, and works hard every day on their behalf. That’s what I will deliver.”
