Ausgrid fires warning shots over ‘dangerous’ political signs

Nine candidates, including Climate 200-backed Nicolette Boele in Bradfield, have been told to remove political corflutes from Ausgrid power poles immediately, with four men sprung with Ms Boele posters.

Ausgrid has read the riot act to a number of political candidates, including Climate 200-backed Nicolette Boele, demanding they immediately remove corflutes illegally attached to Sydney’s electricity infrastructure.

The warning comes after four men with foreign accents were sprung illegally hoisting Ms Boele’s signs onto power poles in the seat of Bradfield.

The Daily Telegraph can reveal Ms Boele was one of nine candidates or MPs Ausgrid contacted in recent days. The warnings were issued as the result of complaints from the public through the Ausgrid website.

A generic copy of the letter, obtained by this masthead, reads: “You are required to remove the material within the areas specified above.” It then states they have seven days to remove the material, which must be completed using an accredited service provider.

“If you fail and/or refuse to comply with this notice by the time, Ausgrid will carry out the works itself, and will recover its costs of carrying out the works and repairing any damage done to Ausgrid’s electrical assets from you as a debt,” the letter said.

Climate 200-backed candidate Nicolette Boele who is running in the seat of Bradfield at the 2025 federal election. Picture: John Appleyard

The electricity network warned political parties earlier this year that attaching corflutes to power poles poses “a serious safety risk and is against the law”.

It’s understood the largest number of complaints regarding political signage have been in the Sydney seats of Bradfield and Wentworth.

Footage sent to this masthead in recent days showed a total of four men with foreign accents using cable ties and a ladder to hoist signs of Ms Boele onto telegraph poles on the Pacific Highway.

In one video, a concerned resident asks: “You are being paid to do the job?”

One of the men with the signs appears to respond: “Right.”

The other man then attempts to grab the phone from the resident filming, while saying “respect… respect… OK?” He then threatens to call the police.

In another video, a different man carrying Ms Boele’s signs is heard telling residents to “f--- off.”

Ms Boele’s campaign has twice declined to comment on the vision of the men with her signs.

Separately, a Climate 200 spokesman insisted the organisation was “not involved”.

It marks the latest controversy to hit Ms Boele’s campaign in recent weeks. Her team has faced community criticism for spray-painting political advertisements on footpaths and hooking signs around the buttons at pedestrian crossings.

Three weeks ago, Ms Boele was also forced to apologise to a teenage hairdresser after claiming her work “was so good and I didn’t even have sex with you”.

Three different images of political messaging in Nicolette Boele's seat of Bradfield. Source: supplied

This masthead further revealed Ms Boele had listed a fund manager with links to oil and gas as one of her key donors during this financial year.

The seat of Bradfield has been left vacant by retiring Liberal MP Paul Fletcher. New Liberal candidate Gisele Kapterian currently holds a 3.4 per cent margin, according to the Australian Electoral Commission.

This is Ms Boele’s second run in the seat. Her campaign - including the registered company “Nixs Run Pty Ltd” - has benefited from at least $233,000 in donations from Climate 200 over the past few years.

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