Woollahra Council set to crackdown on out-of-control corflute wars ahead of federal election

A bold move aimed at cracking down on “out of control” election corflutes in Sydney’s east has been lashed as “undemocratic” and pushing out independent candidates.

L: A Ro Knox poster after being set alight. R: A vandalised poster of Allegra Spender.

A bold move aimed at cracking down on “rampant” election corflutes, and the “Americanisation” of campaigning in Sydney’s east, has been lashed as “undemocratic” and pushing out independent candidates.

On Monday, Woollahra Council voted on proposing a policy aimed at regulating the amount of political advertising in the lead up to local, state and federal elections.

The motion would “allow posters to go up no earlier than 14 days” before pre-poll, and require they be removed within a week of polling day.

Leading the charge was Deputy Mayor Sean Carmichael, who coined the phrase “corflute wars” to describe the “out of control situation”.

“The ‘corflute wars’ have been escalating with each election. This Federal election has now reached a saturation ‘tipping point’ of essentially the same sets of posters now duplicated onto just about every available power pole and street fixture in Woollahra,” the motion said.

Posters of Ro Knox and Allegra Spender are being torn down throughout the seat of Wentworth.

“Regardless of political stripes, many residents are begging to altogether ‘unsubscribe’ from this plastic visual assault that is driven by the advent of ‘big money’ or ‘Americanisation’ of elections in our region.”

According to Mr Carmichael, who is a Liberal, the time limit would force campaigners to “be more strategic, in their locations and numbers” while striking “a more civilised and environmentally sensitive tone”.

A defaced campaign poster of Ro Knox.

“One that still supports society’s democratic needs, but without causing an overwhelming assault on one’s senses when stepping out into the street,” the motion reads.

However, fellow councillors and incumbent member Allegra Spender said the move was shutting out independents from the hustings.

When approached for comment, Ms Spender who is a teal independent, said the move would “just block new candidates”.

“We need to return to civility in campaigning but the council’s plan to reduce the campaign period would just block new candidates and entrench incumbents and major parties, and perhaps that’s what the Liberal councillors want,” Ms Spender said.

Similar views were reiterated by independent councillor Mark Silcocks, who said the motion stood on “very dangerous ground … bordering on undemocratic”.

Allegra Spender’s posters have been subjected to unauthorised messaging by stickers.

“This is about shutting down some of our people standing for government,” he said

“For the people out there who are not part of the big parties, and do not have big budgets, the only way someone standing on their own as an independent gets any form of voice is through outdoor posters or corflutes.”

Councillor Merrill Witt also mused the process was “not terribly democratic”, and questioned whether it conflicted with the standard five week campaign period for federal elections.

“While we know the exact date for the state and local government elections we don’t know what this is for federal campaigns, so for us to only see two weeks is not terribly democratic,” she said.

“Speaking as someone who was an independent, I really struggled to find a volunteer to help me put up the corflutes so two weeks really seems like a waste of time.”

Ro Knox said she supported a ban on political advertising on public property.

The motion was passed with nine votes of support, while councillors Price, Witt, Robertson and Silcocks voted against it.

Speaking to this masthead ahead of Monday’s meeting, Mr Carmichael said he was also concerned corflutes had become targets for by anti-Semitic and misogynistic vandalism.

“Considering the often misogynistic and anti-Semitic nature of the defacing, it isn’t good to be normalising this to children,” he told this masthead.

It comes as campaigners for the Liberal Party state at least 500 posters of their candidate Ro Knox had been stolen or vandalised, with some smeared with animal excrement, defaced with swastikas and in one case set on fire.

The Liberal hopeful told this masthead, if elected, she would pledge not to have her posters on public property, stating locals were “sick of the silly games”.

“We’re all over the waste, the visual pollution, the silly games where people are tearing down and defacing posters,” she said

“I think they should be banned on public property, this should be the last election they get used and abused.

“Voters deserve to know what the candidates really stand for, not just what they look like. This is too important an election to be distracted by posters.”

Similarly campaigners for incumbent member Allegra Spender say hundreds of their posters had also been targeted, including with unauthorised stickers.