Labor’s ‘integrity’ questioned as LNP demand AFP investigation
The LNP is urging the Australian Federal Police investigate the use of private voter information by the Queensland Labor Party and unions.
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The LNP has demanded the Australian Federal Police investigate the Queensland Labor Party and unions’ use of private voter information amid calls for law changes to protect voters.
The Courier-Mail yesterday revealed a whistleblower had provided information to the Australian Electoral Commission about Labor and Queensland Council of Union’s use of the electoral roll.
The AEC has dropped its probe and won’t be referring the matter to the AFP, with both Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and Labor rejecting the allegations.
But the LNP has asked the AFP Commissioner to consider opening a formal investigation.
“The fact that the allegations have been made public now has the potential to seriously undermine confidence in our democracy, just a week out from the state election,” LNP Attorney-General spokesman David Janetzki wrote.
The AEC was probing whether Queenslanders’ personal details had been shared illegally by Labor with unions following allegations that the electoral roll information of Queenslanders was amalgamated with union membership lists into a massive data set.
The information included names, dates of birth, addresses and phone numbers of an unknown number of people and had allegedly been used during previous election campaigns by the QCU to target specific voter groups.
An AEC spokesman yesterday said under the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918, a registered political party may use electoral roll data for “any purpose in connection with an election or referendum”.
“Based on the information available to the AEC, there is no indication that a breach of the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918 has occurred which would warrant further inquiry by the AEC or referral to the AFP by the AEC,” he said.
Queensland Law Society Past President Bill Potts said the next government should change the law to maintain the “integrity” of the electoral process.
“We have trust in our independent government bodies and when that trust is misplaced because political parties misuse information or distribute it without permission, it has a chilling effect on democracy,” he said. “It is serious.”
He said people had a right to know where their personal data would be stored and how it would be used.
Labor State Secretary Julie-Ann Campbell yesterday said the allegation “the ALP has illegally shared private details is just plain wrong.”
“We take our obligations under the Commonwealth and State Electoral Acts very seriously,” she said. “We are confident that we have complied with those obligations.”