Federal election 2016: Knives are out in battle for Dobell

DEATH threats, dodgy dealings — and enough illegal signs to fill an entire storage shed, the Central Coast electorate of Dobell has it all.

Liberal member for Dobell Karen McNamara at the Charmhaven Pre-Polling centre. Picture: Troy Snook

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DEATH threats, dodgy dealings … and enough illegal signs to fill an entire storage shed.

Welcome to the frantic final days on the campaign trail winding through some of the most hotly contested turf in Australia.

The Central Coast electorate of Dobell was won in 2013 by Liberal MP Karen McNamara by a margin of just 0.7 per cent, but a redistribution of boundaries now puts ALP contender Emma McBride notionally ahead by an even slimmer 0.2 per cent.

That means every vote counts.

And you had better believe that supporters of both major parties, along with those from the minor groups, are doing everything they can to get a number one in their candidate’s box at the polls.

Liberal member for Dobell Karen McNamara. Picture: Troy Snook

Ms McNamara said she had endured a torrent of social media abuse from opponents, including personal, vulgar and threatening public messages aimed at hurting her image.

She has been forced to refer two separate recent death threats to authorities.

“I put my hand up for this, but I never thought it was going to get this nasty,” Ms McNamara said yesterday while manning a pre-poll booth at Wyong.

“You just think: ‘Why is there so much hatred? What have I ever done to these people?’.”

“People say to me that I put my hand up for the job, but no-one should be subjected to this, no matter what your occupation is.”

Dozens of Liberal campaign posters erected throughout the Dobell electorate have been incinerated, stolen or defaced in the past fortnight.

One was found with a knife stuck through a photograph of Ms McNamara’s face, while another was scrawled with the word “skank”.

Opponents yesterday pushed over a 6m trailer bearing a giant McNamara poster on private property at Wyong, damaging its side.

The Daily Telegraph approached Ms McBride to ask whether she had experienced similar incidents but did not receive a response.

While the two major parties are engaged in pitched battle for the seat of Dobell, Pauline Hanson’s One Nation may actually sway the balance of power.

Polling suggests the party’s local candidate, radio presenter Carter Edwards, will attract more than 12 per cent of votes, with his preferences flowing to the Liberals before Labor.

One Nation volunteer Judy Maitland at the Wyong Pre-Polling centre. Picture: Troy Snook

Campaign manager Debbie Carter – Mr Edwards’ wife – accused both major parties of crowding out public sites with promotional signs, making it difficult to get her husband’s face seen where it mattered most.

Judy Maitland, who has handed out how-to-vote cards for One Nation in Dobell since 1996, said she had been shoved, abused and even bitten while volunteering for previous campaigns.

“But it’s been a bit more sedate this time,” she said.

“I’ve only had one guy shout me down in the past two days.”

Just how hard both major parties – as well as the Greens – are campaigning can be seen in a Central Coast Council storage shed near Erina.

Central Coast Council Ranger Bill Eggins stacks over 700 confiscated political signs. Picture: Troy Snook

There, hundreds of illegally erected campaign signs are stacked, floor to ceiling.

The signs were all deliberately placed near roads, on fences and in other illegal locations, despite the threat of confiscation and fines.

A council spokesman said rangers had so far impounded more than 1000 signs across the local government area, which straddles the Dobell and Robertson electorates.

“Most of the impounded signs are from the two major political parties,” he said.

It is understood many are taken day after day from the same streets, with Liberal and Labor party faithful replacing illegally placed signs almost as soon as they are taken down.

In Robertson, where Liberal MP Lucy Wicks clings to a 3.1 per cent margin, volunteers jostle daily for the best position to wave how-to-vote cards outside the main pre-poll booth at Gosford.

Ms Wicks and her ALP opponent Anne Charlton literally faced off outside the booth yesterday, standing opposite each other on the footpath as they tried to win votes.

Ms Wicks said that while there had been some argy-bargy, it had been mostly amicable in her electorate, up to now.

“One of them (the ALP volunteers) even offered me a Kit Kat this morning,” she said.

Liberal heavyweights including former PM John Howard, Foreign Minister Julie Bishop and Immigration Minister Scott Morrison have all visited the electorate in the past week to help bolster Ms Wicks’ chances.

“It’s great to get that sort of support at national level, but at the end of the day it’s my name on the ballot paper.”

Political signage near the Charmhaven Pre-Polling centre. Picture: Troy Snook

The Central Coast electorate of Dobell was won in 2013 by Liberal MP Karen McNamara by a margin of just 0.7 per cent. And a redistribution of boundaries now puts ALP contender Emma McBride notionally ahead by an even slimmer 0.2 per cent.

That means every vote counts.

Ms McNamara said she had endured a torrent of social media abuse from opponents, including personal, vulgar and threatening public messages. She has been forced to refer two separate death threats in recent days to authorities.

“I never thought it was going to get this nasty,” Ms McNamara said yesterday while manning a pre-poll booth at Wyong. “No one should be subjected to this.”

Dozens of Liberal campaign posters erected throughout the Dobell electorate have been incinerated, stolen or defaced.

One was found with a knife stuck through a photograph of Ms McNamara’s face, while another was scrawled with the word “skank”.

Opponents yesterday pushed over a 6m trailer bearing a giant McNamara poster on private property at Wyong.

The Daily Telegraph approached Ms McBride to ask whether she had experienced similar incidents but did not receive a response.

While the two major parties are engaged in pitched battle, Pauline Hanson’s One Nation may actually sway the balance of power. Polling suggests the party’s local candidate, radio presenter Carter Edwards, will attract more than 12 per cent of votes, with his preferences flowing to the Liberals before Labor.

Just how hard both major parties – as well as the Greens – are campaigning can be seen in a Central Coast Council storage shed near Erina. There, hundreds of illegally erected campaign signs are stacked, floor to ceiling.