Election antics are getting ‘disrespectful’. Campaign experts want to see some punishment

From punch-ons to vandalised posters, the election campaign drew out ugly behaviour from the entire political spectrum. Campaign experts want to see some punishment.

Campaign experts are calling for harsher punishments for bad behaviour on the election campaign trail after sign disputes and “disrespectful” incidents increased in contentious Victorian seats like Kooyong.

Former state Labor Campaign director and founder of Redbridge, Kos Samaras, has warned that behaviour seen in this Federal election is a sign that stricter rules need to be put in place.

“There probably needs to be some effort made by the government to do something, put in stricter conditions. It’s become normal now, but the political class needs to take a chill pill.”

In Victoria, Kooyong made headlines for unruly behaviour, especially with the removal of signs.

It was an extremely close race between independent Monique Ryan and Liberal MP Amelia Hamer, with the seat still too close to call.

On Saturday, Ms Ryan was leading by just over 724 votes, with postal and absentee votes appearing to be falling in Ms Ryan’s favour.

Kooyong, in Melbourne’s inner eastern suburbs, was a seat that saw a very divisive campaign being a key battleground during the election.

FEDERAL ELECTION 2025. Dr Monique Ryan prepares for a live cross at the Auburn Hotel. Picture: Jake Nowakowski

A poster promoting Teal MP Zali Steggall in Mosman after it was vandalised with Chanel lipstick. Picture: Mosman Collective

The Liberal Party are desperate to reclaim the former stronghold electorate following Ms Ryan’s victory in 2022.

The incumbent Teal candidate has secured 50.35 per cent of the two-candidate-preferred vote, while Ms Hamer is trailing closely with 49.65 per cent.

But the postal vote was weakening for Ms Hamer.

Squabbles over signage were particularly common in the seat.

In one case, Dr Ryan’s husband was forced to apologise after a video surfaced showing him removing a campaign sign for Ryan’s Liberal challenger from a person’s front yard.

A City of Boroondara spokesperson said there were more than 200 complaints related to advertising during the 2025 federal election campaign, up from about 140 during the 2022 election.

The Liberal Party also went to war with the local council – this time in the Supreme Court.

In a win for the Liberals and what was described by Senator James Paterson as a “humiliating defeat” for the council, a judge rejected a council order to restrict the number of campaign signs.

It came after Ms Hamer’s signs, which had been lined up in their dozens, were pulled down at a Kew pre-poll.

A corflute featuring Jeremy Neal's face was defaced with the word 'fascist'. Picture: Supplied

Squabbles over signage were particularly common this election. Picture: Supplied

A group of anti-Greens campaigners, who deployed across Prahran at the recent by-election accusing the minor party of antisemitism, also set their sights on the Teal campaign, rocking up to candidate debates with “Repeal the Teal” t-shirts on.

On election night, Monique Ryan called the campaign “bruising” and said her team had been through a “really hard time.” “It wasn’t like what it was in 2022 – 2022 was joyous and fun,” she said.

On election day, there was also violence on the hustings.

In the Victorian electorate of La Trobe, video showed a man punching and kicking a Trumpet of Patriots volunteer at the poll booth in Pakenham.

There was also shocking cases of racism with people abusing volunteers and telling them “To go back to where you came from”.

Victoria Police are also investigating after reports of neo-Nazi’s posing as Liberal volunteers at a voting booth in inner Melbourne.

Mr Samaras says unfortunately that bad behaviour had become “standard” and should be cracked down on.

Amid concerns about behaviour across the country, Australian Electoral Commissioner Jeff Pope was forced to issue a warning prior to polls opening.

“The AEC is not a police force and does not have jurisdiction to undertake conflict resolution or get in the middle of a dispute outside our polling places.

However, we do have close relationships with local police forces around the country who are closely monitoring activities,” he warned.

Originally published as Election antics are getting ‘disrespectful’. Campaign experts want to see some punishment