Dunkley by-election: Frankston Council threatens legal action over campaign signs
Frankston residents busted with more than one sign supporting their favourite candidate in the high-profile Dunkley by-election could end up with a criminal record.
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Supporters caught with more than one political campaign sign in their yard in the lead-up to the Dunkley by-election are being threatened with legal action by the local council.
A Frankston land owner with three corflutes promoting Libertarian candidate Chrysten Abraham was warned by Frankston Council that if two of the signs were not removed they would be subject to “enforcement action” that could include a “criminal conviction and severe financial penalties”.
The landowner was given three days to remove the extra signs.
Instead, they combined the smaller signs to create a single large sign that met the 5 sqm size limit allowed under the council’s local laws.
Ms Abraham said sending an inspector to “repeatedly verify the compliance of a few plastic signs” was not in the community’s best interests or an “efficient use of ratepayer resources”.
“Every day, the people of Frankston are burdened with navigating through a labyrinth of government regulations,” she said.
The council has been keeping a public tally of complaints about election signs.
Since the tally began on February 2, the council has received 22 complaints including reports of multiple signs on private properties, unauthorised signs on public land, oversized signs and trailers promoting election candidates being parked on the side of roads for days.
The tally, which is on the council website below an election commitment tracker, does not detail which candidates the offending signs were promoting.
On Monday afternoon 14 of the complaints had been finalised by the council, with no action required for 10 signs which were found to be compliant.
A further eight complaints were listed as being “in progress”.
Meanwhile, Nathan Conroy – who was elected mayor of Frankston for the third consecutive time just weeks before taking a leave from the council after being chosen by the Liberals to represent them in Dunkley – has been criticised by locals for his use of an election trailer.
The trailer was papped taking up two prime parking spots during the recent Waterfront Festival.
Disgruntled festival goers took to social media to vent about the move.
“This area was absolutely chock-a-block with traffic and many families could have used these carparks over the course of the weekend,” one man posted.
“Instead, they were taken by an empty car with an empty political message on the back.”
However, another man took it as a sign Mr Conroy was a high achiever.
“The fact he can park a car with a trailer in a prime spot at Frankstons busiest beach day of the year shows he can make things happen,” he posted.
The Herald Sun is not suggesting Mr Conroy broke any laws related to parking or election signs.
Mr Conroy has been contacted.
The Labor candidate for Dunkley Jodie Belyea and independent candidate Darren Bergwerf have also been contacted.