Key adviser to independent Zali Steggall gets advice from activist group GetUp!

Activist group GetUp is sending strategic advice to Zali Steggall’s campaign manager via a secret encrypted phone messenger app called Slack, in a bid to oust Tony Abbott from Warringah at the next election.

• Steggall’s campaign manager praised GetUp!
• ‘Quitting isn’t an option’: Zali Steggall’s new passion

ACTIVIST group GetUp is sending strategic advice to a key adviser to Warringah independent candidate Zali Steggall in a bid to oust Tony Abbott.

Campaign manager Louise Hislop is among 52 members of GetUp’s official “Warringah Action Group” list, which shares information via an encrypted messenger app on how to target the former prime minister.

Membership of the left-wing lobbyists’ messaging list is by invitation only for active members and requires an invite link and approvals from GetUp staff.

Former Olympian Zali Steggall is challenging Tony Abbott in the upcoming election. Picture: AAP

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The Daily Telegraph has obtained screenshots of Ms Hislop on the list, run via a phone app called Slack, as well as her profile which includes her photograph and current mobile phone number.

Other members on the internal messaging list — which works in much the same way as WhatsApp — include GetUp’s office support team for NSW and GetUp’s campaigns manager Django Merope Synge. The purpose of the Warringah Action Group is to “communicate with each other and co-ordinate the group’s activities, meetings and events”, the group states.

GetUp, which spent nearly $800,000 in political campaigning last financial year, has been under fire for claiming to be “independent” but in fact acting on behalf of the ALP and the Greens.

Louise Hislop is a member of GetUp!s encrypted app.

Last night Ms Hislop would not answer calls from The Daily Telegraph, but in a statement Ms Steggall denied her campaign manager was a member of the Warringah Action Group.

“It would be false and inaccurate to suggest so,” she said.

“She was asked to provide information to them about Voices of Warringah, which she did. They included her in the Slack app which she has not checked.

“Although I have not met members of the Warringah Action Group I am sure they are a group of decent and engaged community members who want action on climate change and compliance with our international human rights obligations.”

Ms Hislop has been involved in many local activist groups, including Voices of Warringah.

She has also praised Labor leader Bill Shorten, saying “he was quite stirring. He’s got the fire in his belly” about a speech she shared on social media last year.

The training manual for Slack for GetUp states: “Slack will be used to share strategic information so we need to keep it as secure as we can. Slack is a space for active members of Action Groups, people who attend meetings and/or other action group events regularly.”

Sitting member Tony Abbott called GetUp! a “form of political mafia”. Picture: John Feder/The Australian

A source familiar with how GetUp uses Slack said a member had to be sent a code/link and then sign up, which requires an email address and then a verification email.

“And from there they need to join the relevant action group, which in her (Ms Hislop’s) case is #ag-warringah,” he said. “It couldn’t be done by accident.”

Last night Mr Abbott described the group as a “form of political mafia”. And while he would not be drawn on Ms Steggall’s campaign, he said that despite what independent candidates say, “voting for an independent just brings a Labor government closer”.

He also rejected the phrase used by several local candidates that they are “sensible centrist Liberals”.

“They are not Liberals,” Mr Abbott said.

“They are not even Labor lite. They are basically Green left warriors.”

Poet and musician Tristan Alaba was also running as independent for Warringah but has pulled out, saying he wants to support Ms Steggall. Picture: Facebook

Liberal MP Ben Morton, who is on a parliamentary committee which called GetUp “obstructive”, said “they’re a wolf dressed in sheep’s clothing”.

GetUp has targeted Mr Abbott in his electorate on the northern beaches, hosting meetings, ringing voters and offering free food as part of a “Turf Out Tony” campaign.

Darryl Lovegrove has pulled out of the race to back Ms Steggall.

Late last week another independent candidate, Manly-based singer Darryl Lovegrove — who shared GetUp material on his social media channels, pulled out of the race saying he wanted to back Ms Steggall.

“I think Zali is a great candidate. I went to her launch and saw the groundswell of support she had. Then I looked at her policies and saw they are pretty much the same as mine,” he said.

Local poet and music teacher Tristan Alaba also withdrew last week to support Ms Steggall, after pledging to run in an attempt to gather preferences. He denied being a GetUp candidate. “I do not intend to be elected but I intend to be effective,” he had told his followers. “If I get say 11 per cent of votes, which is my benchmark, I can pass these on to my preferred candidate.”

Conservative lobby group Advance Australia’s national director Gerard Benedet said candidates were being told to pull out to “narrow the field”, to avoid the vote being split.