Copies of allegedly illegal how-to-vote signs displayed in two Melbourne electorates on federal election day have been shown in court.
Failed Kooyong candidate Oliver Yates is challenging the re-election of Treasurer Josh Frydenberg and climate campaigner Vanessa Garbett is challenging the election of Gladys Liu in the neighbouring seat of Chisholm.
Lawyers for the challengers in the Federal Court on Wednesday displayed reproductions of Chinese-language corflutes posted at polling places in both electorates on election day on May 18.
When translated from traditional Chinese characters, the purple and white signs – in the colours of the Australian Electoral Commission – say the “correct” way to vote is to put the Liberals first.
Lisa De Ferrari SC argued this amounted to illegal conduct likely to mislead or deceive Chinese-speaking voters in Kooyong and Chisholm.
She said both Mr Frydenberg and Ms Liu knew about the corflutes and allowed them to be displayed.
amazing moment in the court of disputed returns, pivotal moment in @JoshFrydenberg/@GladysLiuMP deceptive signs case brought by @_Oliver_Yates.
then acting @LiberalVictoria state director, & now josh’s chief of staff, admits signs deliberately impersonated @AusElectoralCom! https://t.co/IapJ65f1u9
— 💧simon holmes à court (@simonahac) November 6, 2019
Mr Yates and Ms Garbett are seeking to void the MPs’ elections, which Ms De Ferrari concedes is a “drastic measure”.
“The principle, we say, is also important and too important to have those considerations of practical inconvenience take over,” she told the court.
The AEC previously denied the posters were likely to mislead or deceive voters into thinking they were official instructions from the commission.
It urged the court to throw out the cases.
-AAP
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