Upper Hunter: Labor refers Nationals posters to electorial commission

Poster wars have erupted in the Upper Hunter by-election after Labor lodged a complaint against the Nationals.

Poster wars have erupted in the Upper Hunter by-election after Labor lodged a complaint against the Nationals.

Labor said bunting used by the Nationals to advertise at a Muswellbrook pre-polling centre breached Australian Electoral Commission guidelines by not having the correct authorisation displayed.

Labor has complained to the AEC about Dave Layzell’s signs at Muswellbrook, arguing that they are incorrectly authorised.

Labor said the Nationals bunting (a plastic poster wrapped around a fence) did not have the address of authoriser Joe Lundy.

Last night Nationals faithfuls spent the night checking each poster in the Upper Hunter for the omission and putting stickers on posters without the correct address to avoid a reprimand from the AEC.

“It’s a printing error and it has now been rectified,” Nationals NSW state director Joe Lundy said.

Labor said leaving the correct ­address off the posters was a “trick” by the Nationals.

“We are very concerned about this new development of dirty tricks and we’ve referred it to the electoral commission,” a Labor spokes­woman said.

The AEC sets strict guidelines all candidates must follow on their advertising material.

Every poster, brochure and how to vote card must have both the name and address of the authoriser and the address of the printer.

“If the electoral material was produced on behalf of a registered political party for registration with the NSW Electoral Commission for distribution on election day, the authorisation must include the name of the individual, the name of the registered political party and the address of the party as it appears on the Register of Parties,” the AEC guidelines state.

If the Nationals are found to be in breach of the AEC guidelines for election advertising material they will have to check every piece of bunting in the electorate.

UPPER HUNTER CANDIDATES GIVE LAST-MINUTE PITCHES

The Deputy Premier has called on Upper Hunter voters to give the government one last chance as candidates gave their last-minute pitch to voters on Friday.

John Barilaro and Nationals party ministers at times outnumbered voters at the pre-polling centre in Singleton.

Federal Nationals senator Matt Canavan and NSW minister Bronnie Taylor were handing out how-to-vote cards on Friday morning along with the Deputy Premier.

Mr Canavan was spotted having a laugh with One Nation leader Pauline Hanson.

NSW Nationals Leader John Barilaro with local Nationals Candidate Dave Layzell ahead of the Upper Hunter by-election. Picture: Tim Hunter

“I feel that voters here still want to stick with the government, they think we’ve done a good job managing the pandemic,” Mr Barilaro said.

“For the voters who are still undecided, we are 18 months out from the next election — we made election promises in 2019 we said in this term of government we will deliver on them, so give us a chance to deliver on them over the full four years,” he said.

“Now’s not the time to change the jockey mid-race.”

Mr Barilaro and local candidate Dave Layzell told voters job security was their No. 1 priority.
Mr Barilaro denied claims the government was only now investing in the region because of the election.

“The accusation I've had is that I pork barrel. You can’t have both arguments. You can’t say we’ve neglected an area and at the very same time I've been accused of pork barrelling — it's a conflicting argument,” he said.

Nationals candidate Dave Layzell. Picture: Tim Hunter

Local Labor candidate Jeff Drayton campaigned in Singleton on Friday morning, asking voters to give him a chance, and was joined in the afternoon handing out how-to-vote by NSW Labor leader Jodi McKay.

Mr Drayton said The Nationals have matched his commitments to roads and a hospital bypass but not Labor’s commitment to a $100 million mining royalties package and mining reform which would send mining bosses to jail if charged with industrial manslaughter.

“Lots of candidates and parties are going around telling everyone how much they love mining and mine workers … the only person making a commitment to mining workers is me,” he said.

Ms McKay said that while the Coalition told voters to trust its record on managing the pandemic, COVID wouldn’t be on voters minds.

“The issues here are different from Sydney. Here they aren’t thinking about COVID they are thinking about their jobs — how am I going to keep my job and make sure my kids have a future here,” she said.

“No one has ever mentioned COVID to me at all. It hasn’t been on the radar.”

While the Labor leader said she was proud of the campaign, election day will be an uphill battle.

“We’ve never, ever won this seat, if we get there it will be historic,” she said.

“But I think it’s close. People are thinking about how they vote and it’s a very different very diverse electorate.”

Labor candidate Jeff Drayton. Picture: Tim Hunter

One Nation leader Pauline Hanson hugged voters in Singleton on Friday morning as she campaigned for candidate Dale McNamara in the hopes of scoring a One Nation voice in the NSW lower house.

Job security and limits on wind turbines were the two big pitches to voters, and while Ms Hanson said early polling was encouraging she wasn’t confident of a win

“We never know how the electorate feels about it until on the day. I've gone through a lot of disappointments on election day and all you can do is put your best foot forward,” she said.

One Nation leader Pauline Hanson greets local One Nation Candidate Dale McNamara, with One Nation NSW leader Mark Latham watches on. Picture: Tim Hunter.

The Shooters, Fishers and Farmers candidate Sue Gilroy is hoping preferences will push the party over the line, with the Shooters, Labor and Nationals predicted to be the three contenders.

Independent Kirsty O’Connell, who is backed by former PM Malcolm Turnbull, used her last-ditch speech to deny she is “anti-coal” as she has been labelled by other candidates, and clarified she supported all job creating industries — coal or otherwise.

Originally published as Upper Hunter: Labor refers Nationals posters to electorial commission