Opponents band together to complain about dinosaur candidate Mindy Russell

A candidate, known for her dinosaur mascots and who stands to win a seat in Logan City Council, has been referred to the Electoral Commission of Queensland. But Mindy Russell denies any wrongdoing.

A Mindy Russell supporter with a folder containing how to vote cards which were to be given to the Returning Officer for display outside booths.

A CANDIDATE, known for her dinosaur mascots and who stands to win a seat in Logan City Council, has been referred to the Electoral Commission of Queensland.

Formal complaints have been lodged about Division 3 candidate Mindy Russell, who used blow-up dinosaurs and a dinosaur statue in a cage as campaign props.

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Opponents David Beard and Kerry Nielsen have both filed formal complaints to the commission about Ms Russell’s use of volunteers at booths on polling day.

The electoral commission is yet to confirm what action, if any, it will take.

Ms Russell said she had been alerted to her opponents banding together against her but said she had done nothing wrong and her team had not handed out how-to-vote cards at booths on polling day.

“My little sister was seen holding a folder of how to vote cards which were to be given to the returning officer and placed outside booths,” she said.

“There may have been a breach of the rules because of confusion as the rules were changing so quickly but when we were ordered to comply, we did so immediately and without complaint.”

Mr Beard called for Ms Russell to be disqualified and said he believed her actions at booths on polling day gave her an unfair advantage and influenced the election result for Division 3.

Mr Beard has filed a complaint about Ms Russell handing out how to vote cards at polling booths.

“The result is not fair and true because Mindy Russell and her campaigners were not following the rules,” he said.

“The result was skewed and all four other candidates in the division were disadvantaged.

“The letter of the law should be applied and I have requested for her to be disqualified and penalty units applied.”

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A week before the poll, the state government banned all electioneering and volunteers at booths to protect voters from coronavirus.

With 10,000 votes counted out of a possible total of 16,501, Ms Russell was leading with 4035 votes or about 39 per cent of the primary count.

Mr Beard, who was coming third with 19 per cent of the vote, said his complaint was about Ms Russell allegedly breaching electoral commission directives which banned campaigners and volunteers canvassing for votes at polling booths on March 28.

The directive extended existing prohibitions under section 185 of the Local Government Act 2001 to stop volunteers wearing branded T-shirts.

Candidate Jim Reid has filed a complaint about Mindy Russell.

Another Division 3 candidate Jim Reid complained after he witnessed some people, who he said were volunteers for Ms Russell, at Daisy Hill State School.

Mr Reid also claimed campaigners for Ms Russell accessed the Labor Party’s computer program called “Campaign Central” to obtain names and addresses of everyone living in Division 3.

“The data was then used for approximately a $12,500 direct mail out to all voters in the week leading up to election day,” he said.

“This is against party protocol even though Ms Russell was a member of the Labor Party but was not an endorsed candidate of the Labor Party.”

Ms Russell had no comment about teh claim of accessing the Labor Party data base but said every candidate was provided with a copy of the electoral roll.

“According to the pre-poll votes, which were cast before election day, I was set to win the seat anyway,” she said.

“At the Slacks Creek pre-polling booth, I got 1908 votes of the total 5285.”