New Adelaide City Councillor Jing Li denies allegations of vote harvesting

A successful Adelaide City Council candidate accused of vote harvesting has called for a police investigation, denying he is responsible for any wrongdoing.

The election corflute for unsuccessful Adelaide lord mayoral candidate Rex Patrick. Picture: Supplied

A Chinese-born public servant elected to Adelaide City Council elections has denied allegations of vote harvesting.

Federal government employee Jing Li has accused his political opponents of spreading false information in a bid to damage his successful bid to become a city councillor.

Mr Li, 38, said he wanted a police investigation into claims ballot papers supporting him were filled out and collected from Chinese students living in city apartment buildings.

In his first interview, the married father-of-two – who arrived in Adelaide from China as a student when he was 20 – said he would co-operate with any official investigation.

Adelaide City Council candidate Jing Li. Picture: Dean Martin

“The Electoral Commissioner already is conducting an initial investigation,” he said.

“If it is a serious investigation, then police should be involved.

“They should go and interview the managers of the apartment buildings where pictures were taken of ballot papers being collected.”

Former independent senator Rex Patrick wrote to Electoral Commissioner Mick Sherry on Sunday asking him expand an investigation after he lost by 52 votes to former lord mayor and state Labor cabinet minister Jane Lomax-Smith.

Mr Sherry last week announced a preliminary inquiry into allegations surrounding overseas students at four city apartment buildings.

Mr Patrick said his complaint was solely focused on potential vote harvesting among international students.

Former senator Rex Patrick lost the Adelaide lord mayoralty to former Labor cabinet minister and lord mayor Jane Lomax-Smith by 52 votes. Picture: Brenton Edwards

“This is not about Jane or Rex,” he said. “This is about making sure the election result reflects the will of the people of Adelaide, and that there is full confidence in the result.”

Mr Patrick was supported by Ms Lomax-Smith, who separately wrote to Local Government Minister Geoff Brock asking for new legislation to stop overseas students voting.

“I have suggested that the capacity for non-citizen residents to enrol to vote in local government elections after one month be reviewed,” she said.

“There is absolutely no reasonable justification for that right to be given to newly arrived international students.”

Denying he had vote harvested, Mr Li said he secured 511 first preference votes – the highest number of 14 candidates who sought election as Central Ward councillors – “through the support of the Chinese community and lots of doorknocking”.

“I would welcome an investigation into these claims of vote harvesting but it has to be a full investigation, not just one which is targeting me,” he said.

“All candidates have access to lists of where people live and their street addresses.”

Former lord mayor Jane Lomax-Smith has staged a successful election campaign to return to Adelaide Town Hall. Picture: Morgan Sette

Mr Li said he believed he had been the subject of false criticism during the election campaign.

“One minute I was being called anti-Chinese, the next I am a member of the Chinese Communist Party,” he said.

“I have lived here since I was 20, I am married with two kids, my parents live here.

“What is left for me in China? It is absurd.”

Mr Li said he stood for election because he had run a consultancy from an office in Gouger St, near Chinatown, before joining Austrade.

“I just want to serve the community,” he said. “Not just the Chinese community, the whole multicultural community because it is so under represented. I’ve been elected through hard work, nothing else.”