The announcement of the new Moreland Council in early November was tainted by the revelation of suspected electoral fraud in the form of vote tampering in the North-West ward.
The main areas affected were the suburbs of Pascoe Vale, Fawkner and Gowanbrae, where, at the time of ballot counting, a number of residents reported having police at their doors warning of mail being stolen in the area. A large number of residents had previously contacted the VEC with requests for ballot papers which they had never received in the mail. When the ballot counting commenced, workers reportedly discovered hundreds of ballot papers that had been returned twice, with non-matching signatures.
Allegations that a Labor candidate was offering certain individuals $500 for every 50 ballot papers stolen from mailboxes in the North-West ward have since been made, and some Councillors have said they believe they know who is responsible. However, there is still much conjecture surrounding the case, and the Meddler can’t afford a defamation case right now.
This version of electoral tampering– the acquiring of ballots and forgery of votes — demonstrates a flagrant disregard for the will of the people. It is also surprising in its reckleness.
The Meddler is not in the business of handing out tips to electoral fraudsters, but surely a prospective ballot-pincher would contact the VEC and enquire: ‘what happens if I don’t receive my ballot paper?’. They would invariably have been told, as many Gowanbrae residents were, that they would simply be issued a new ballot paper.
The election results have, at the time of writing, been referred to the Victoria Police and the services of expert handwriting analysts have been engaged. The election results will likely be contested in VCAT in the new year. This means that the Councillors from the North-West ward, who were sworn in to office in mid-November, will likely need to recontest their seats.
Whether one of the current sitting Councillors was responsible for the crime hangs over the new Moreland Council. The tension was certainly palpable in live swearing in ceremony, as each elected Councillor took their turn to announce their commitment to serving the people of Moreland. Unfortunately the aspirational new Council is stymied by this, the most sordid event in Moreland’s electoral history.
By SAS & BB
The Coburg Meddler 