Dickson residents complain of ‘annoying, distracting’ election signs

Major parties and Independents have flooded main roads with “annoying and distracting” signs across Peter Dutton’s electorate of Dickson but they won’t change the outcome, residents say.

Residents have slammed “annoying” election signs. Photo: Steve Pohlner

Voters in Opposition Leader Peter Dutton’s electorate of Dickson north of Brisbane are being bombarded with party propaganda amid a bitter political dogfight between the LNP, Labor, the Greens and a Climate 200-backed Independent.

The streets of Queensland’s most marginal federal electorate - which stretches from Arana Hills in the south to Ocean View in the north - are littered with volunteers at busy intersections targeting voters driving as they drive to work, school drop off and local shopping centres.

It has become so heated residents have taken to community Facebook pages to complain of accidents and near-misses on the road due to distraction and of volunteers being abused in shopping centres, while Mr Dutton’s electorate office has been vandalised three times.

Mr Dutton may be vying to be Australia’s next Prime Minister - but he is facing a potential overthrow as he clings onto Dickson by a margin of less than 2 per cent, with Labor expressing confidence it can take the seat with candidate Ali France.

Independent candidate Ellie Smith also thinks she is a chance, and the Greens’ Vinnie Batten is also contesting the race.

Dickson voters told The Courier-Mail they had become oversaturated by party propaganda across the electorate, including volunteers flaunting signs for hundreds of metres on main roads.

Dickson residents have complained of excessive and distracting signage flooding main roads as the contest for one of Queensland's most marginal seats heats up. Photo: supplied.

Voting for the first time in a federal election, 19-year-old Grace Weber and her partner William Hulcombe said it’s been “a bit overwhelming” throughout the electorate.

“There’s a lot, I mean, just all the signs and everything, it’s a lot,” Ms Weber said.

The young voter was initially going to vote for Mr Dutton, but later changed to the Greens and Labor after their housing policies appealed to her more when looking to purchase their first home.

“I just liked some of his policies, and then it kind of changed when he started saying stuff about superannuation, taking money out of super for housing,” she said.

“I’m just voting for myself at this point, I know, like, after I have a house and after I’ve settled down here, I might be able to look at other people, but at the moment I’m voting on what I think is best for us.”

Constituents have complained of large advertisements and people waving distracting signs close to main roads, but residents say it won’t sway much.

Local voter Ben Marsh said he was sick and tired of the commotion as the parties attempt to lure votes.

“I am from in Murrumba Downs every morning there are clowns on the side of the road,” Mr Marsh said.

“The sooner it’s all gone the better I reckon.”

When asked if the signs could sway his mind, Mr Marsh said they wouldn’t make any difference and that he “hated politics”.

Dickson residents have complained of excessive and distracting signage flooding main roads as the contest for one of Queensland's most marginal seats heats up. Photo: supplied.

One Albany Creek business owner said she found it “desperate”.

“The ones that are distracting are when people are waving them around on the side of the road. That’s when it catches your eyes,” she said.

“I just think it smacks of desperation to tell you the truth.

“It’s fine when you know it’s the pizza guy waving a sign around but to see it from a politician and his team – I don’t know.”

Residents took to a local Facebook page this month to complain the signs were a distraction.

“Should be illegal as it’s effectively distracting the drivers. Seen a few accidents...,” one resident said.

Another claimed “these people have caused nose to tail accidents”, while a concerned resident complained an 18-year-old was abused at the shops “for her political t-shirt”.

“She wasn’t canvassing, she wasn’t even speaking to anyone. She was standing in line waiting to pay for her items,” the poster said.

Ms France is hoping third time will be a charm to unseat Mr Dutton and said she was feeling positive ahead of the final days of the campaign.

“I think it will be really, really close. I think I’m feeling positive though, I’m getting a lot of positive feedback,” she said.

She said many locals have told her they are “fed up” with local issues being “ignored” by their current member, who as Opposition Leader has had little time to campaign in his own marginal seat.

Ms France, who has battled the loss of a leg in a horrifying car accident and the death of a teenage son, could benefit from preferences from Ms Smith, who dubs herself a “genuine independent” despite being backed by Climate 200 - a major fundraising group behind several teal campaigns.

“We were going from nothing so it was a big, big climb over the last few months,” Ms Smith said.

“Here, locally, there’s been peaks of momentum and ... they’re just over the major parties, over our incumbent in particular, but then going, well, what’s the alternative?”

Mr Dutton’s Arana Hills office was subject to vandalism three times in a matter of weeks leading up to the election, with volunteers having to spend hours scrubbing both graffiti and paint off the office walls.

The most recent resulted in an 18-year-old woman charged.

A billboard on the side of a busy road a few suburbs away was also cheekily defaced a week before voters go to the polls, with two googly eyes glued to the face of the Opposition Leader.

People cycle election corflutes signs past the traffic on Old Gympie Rd Strathpine, in the seat of Dickson where Peter Dutton is the sitting Federal Member – on 26th April 2025 – Photo Steve Pohlner

Originally published as Dickson residents complain of ‘annoying, distracting’ election signs