Mystery election poll a big concern

FRUSTRATION continues to mount over the telephone survey being conducted by ReachTEL on behalf on an unnamed Bundaberg client.

(FILES) In this file photo taken on February 25, 2019 a visitor uses his phone at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona. - Americans are increasingly fearful of monitoring of their online and offline activities, both by governments and private companies, a survey showed Friday. The Pew Research Center report said more than 60 percent of US adults believe it is impossible to go about daily life without having personal information collected by companies or the government. (Photo by Pau Barrena / AFP)

OPINION: FRUSTRATION continues to mount over the telephone survey being conducted by ReachTEL on behalf on an unnamed Bundaberg client.

Various members of the community have raised concern over the survey, with the organiser remaining anonymous and coy.

When I was first informed of the survey by a member of the public, I was intrigued.

The survey allegedly asks members of the Bundaberg community questions relating to the upcoming council election in March and references just four councillors, including mayor Jack Dempsey, Helen Blackburn, Judy Peters and Ross Sommerfeld, all of whom have denied responsibility or are yet to respond.

In fact Cr Dempsey labelled the survey intrusive and argues whoever commissioned it should be publicly identified.

While surveys in the lead up to any election are normal, it is disappointing that the public remains unaware of the motives behind this.

But there's more questions that Bundaberg want answered than who commissioned this survey.

Determined to find these answers for our community and cure my own curiosity, I posed a selection of questions to ReachTEL.

What are the questions being asked in the survey?

How much is it costing?

What any of the information be publicly released?

How many people are being quizzed?

Yes, I'm asking the questions as a journalist, but I'm also asking from the perspective of a rate payer and resident, who will be submitting a vote in March.

Surely this means I am entitled to know the questions that have been posed to my friends, neighbours and other members of the community?

But despite my efforts, a spokeswoman from ReachTEL said: "We do not comment on customers that commission research, nor on how our customers may choose to use the research data."

The mystery surrounding the survey remains unsolved, but I don't intend to hang up the investigator cap anytime soon.

Are you able to shed any light on the mystery? If so drop me a line on [e-mail]

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