Election rumbles: All the action and drama from behind the scenes and poll booths
A woman was allegedly verbally assaulted by a Legalise Cannabis candidate while voting in Pakenham. And that wasn’t the only upset at polling booths.
State Election
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Pakenham high school polling booth volunteers have revealed a mother was verbally assaulted by a Legalise Cannabis Victoria candidate while voting on Saturday.
The cannabis candidate allegedly told the mum she didn't care about her children or family if she voted Labor.
The mum was lining up to vote at Pakenham Secondary College on Saturday morning when the candidate attempted to spruik the party’s policies.
When the mum politely told the candidate she planned to vote Labor, it's claimed they shouted in her face: “You don’t care about your children.”
Volunteers at the polling booth said the woman was shocked by the verbal attack, and replied that she did indeed care about her children.
“But they then said: ‘You don’t care about your family’,” a volunteer, who witnessed the altercation, said.
“It was really awful.”
Richmond’s rich and fancy food fare
Thousands of hungry voters were left disappointed after multiple polling booths across the state scrapped the Aussie democracy sausage.
Sausage sizzles were abandoned at booths in Brunswick, Point Cook, Ashwood, Prahran, Mornington Peninsula and Bayswater.
One voter said her local high school sold out at 1pm.
“They actually sold out at my local high school,” she said.
“300 sausages sold out by 1pm, but I can’t be mad because all that goes back to the school.
“Did consider carpooling to wherever else might still be cooking.”
But some booths took the democracy sausage to a new level, serving gourmet food for a hefty price.
Voters at Richmond High School’s Gleadell St campus could opt for $12 bacon and egg rolls and $10 “posh porridge” in the morning, while the champagne-inspired lunch menu listed more than a dozen options.
Locals could indulge in a gourmet pizza for $22 or a “Jamie Oliver Insane Burger” for $15.
Volunteers were also serving up half a dozen oysters for $20.
Beer, wine and champagne were on offer for those needing to quench their thirst waiting in line.
One of the cheaper items on the menu — the $10 “plain old boring burger” — was listed as the option for “whimps and right wing Liberals”.
The old sausage and bread, available all day, was $3.50.
The community is hoping to raise $20,000 for its Make a Difference fund that helps students with their mental health.
Brawl breaks out among voters at booth
Dramatic footage has emerged of two voters punching each other at a polling station in Melbourne.
Terrified onlookers filmed the incident, which shows two men wrestle to the ground at a school believed to be in Niddrie.
The pair is understood to have clashed after one man was vocal about his hatred for Premier Daniel Andrews.
The video shows a woman screaming as she attempts to break up the fight.
Election volunteers carrying pamphlets can also be seen attempting to stop the fight. “Oi, enough brother, take it easy,” one man yells.
‘Very interesting night’ ahead in Mulgrave
Voting centres throughout the Mulgrave electorate were filled with signs slamming the Premier Daniel Andrews.
Cars with paint that read #dan4jail, “put Dan last” and “sack Dan” drove up and down streets.
Volunteers from various parties also held signs that read “no ambulance Dan” and “anyone but Dan”.
Independent candidate for Mulgrave Ian Cook said he is in with a fighting change to knock Mr Andrews off his seat.
“Today has been an awful lot of people saying we like your story, we like what you stand for and the fact that you’re say it from the heart,” he said
“We appear to be level Daniel Andrews on primary vote, so if that’s the case it will be a very interesting night.”
Mr Cook has over 400 volunteers from across Victoria and interstate.
Ballot papers run out
A polling booth in the Western suburbs has temporarily run out of ballot papers, with voters forced to queue or travel elsewhere.
Multiple campaigners reported Altona Meadows Primary School, in the Point Cook electorate, ran out of local ballot papers shortly after 3.30pm.
Some voters elected to travel to other voting booths – there are two about 1km away from the primary school – while others stayed to wait, with a queue of about 50 people stretching out the door.
A VEC election official at the school confirmed more ballot papers were on the way from Truganina and expected to arrive shortly.
The Herald Sun has contacted the Victorian Electoral Commission.
Dan channels Dr Seuss to highlight promises
Premier Daniel Andrews has released a Dr Seuss-style rhyme on social media, highlighting his parties’ key election promises.
Posted on his Instagram account, the rhyme features several Dr Seuss images and characters, including the fabled “Cat in the Hat”.
Beginning with education and energy promises made by the Labor Party, such as “building more schools and making power bills small,” the post then covers the contested issue of energy sources, with the rhyme stating an Andrews led government will “deliver renewable energy and show coal the door.”
V-line travellers will be charged nine dollars twenty per ticket, while stronger rental laws will prevent tenants being evicted with ‘no specified’ cause. Pets, “one or even a few,” will be allowed to live in rental properties with their owners.
To round off the rhyme, a pledge to set up brand new parenting hubs is referenced, as are baby bundles and kinder hits to “make sure your kids get the best start in life.”
‘Nasty dictator’ casts vote against Dan
Comedian and Kim Jong-un impersonator Howard Lee — running in Mulgrave against Premier Daniel Andrews — raised a few eyebrows as he cast his vote at Albany Rise Primary School on Saturday morning.
Lee has previously told the Herald Sun he is running to offer people a “protest vote”.
“I am giving the chance for all the people that are angry with the Premier to vote for a nasty dictator – at least someone who looks like him – rather than Dan,” he said.
“It’s the best middle finger a voter can give to Premier and their preferences will flow through to another candidate who has a chance.”
Mr Lee, who has lived in Mulgrave since the 1990s, said for years he has used impersonation to “promote human rights and democracy”.
He hit the headlines in May when he gatecrashed a media opportunity attended by former federal MP Gladys Liu and former prime minister Scott Morrison.
The comedian has campaigned as Kim Jong-un.
“As the Supreme Leader, I will be a much better dictator than dictator Dan,” Mr Lee said, impersonating Kim Jong-un.
While Lee does not believe he will secure enough votes to topple the Premier, he told the Herald Sun he thinks another independent could snatch Mulgrave from Daniel Andrews.
“I think Ian Cook has the best chance to take the seat,” Lee said.
The comedian was planning to vote on Saturday with his inflatable toy rocket – which he has been sporting during the election campaign – but said he left it at home as he rushed out the door.
He said VEC staff had previously been “pissed off” by his rocket and had asked him to stop campaigning with it, citing it was “threatening”.
“I politely reminded (them) that I wasn’t breaking any laws,” he said.
Libs’ send last-minute desperate texts
Voters across the state received unsolicited texts from the Liberal Party Saturday morning, telling them to “Ditch Dan”.
“Don’t let him get away with it. The only way to get rid of Daniel Andrews is to vote Liberal today,” the text — authorised by Liberal Party state director Sam McQuestin reads.
Links take voters directly to the page of their local candidate.
It follows late-night texts on Friday night to voters living in targeted electorates.
Those texts alluded to alleged “breaking” news ahead of the Victorian state election on Saturday.
A message from the Labor Party sent to voters on Thursday and Friday claims plans made by Liberal leader Matthew Guy to “sell off water and sewerage, and cut $6bn from schools, TAFE and level crossing removals” have been revealed.
The text falls under the category of a political advertisement and it is surprisingly common.
Laws that often protect Victorians from intrusive phone calls and messages are ignored when it takes the form of a political advertisement for an election campaign.
Take for example the lack of an apparent authorisation included in the message.
The Victorian Electoral Commission states that for something to be considered electoral campaign material, it must include authorisation.
This must take the form of an authorisation statement: a visible declaration of the name and address of the registered political party.
In the case of the shared text message, the link provided will take voters to a website that displays an authorisation statement made by Chris Ford from the Labor Party.
In the eyes of the VEC, the text is a verified political advert.
Laws that protect Australians against a breach of privacy or any form of spam do not apply when referring to an election campaign.
Political advertising is exempt from the Privacy Act (1988), Do Not Call Register Act (2006) and Spam Act (2003) when it comes to phone calls or text used during an election, or in fact campaigning at any time.
A disgruntled voter took to Twitter after receiving the text message on Thursday, saying “I’m so over @VictorianLabor spam texting me.”
The VEC tweeted back a response regarding the validity of the message.
“Political parties are permitted to do this (send texts), and are exempt from the spam act,” the VEC said.
“However, they do not get the details from us.”
Meanwhile, questions of raised about whether or not Angry Victorians Party candidate Catherine Cumming can legally hand out her how to vote cards because it is understood they have not been registered with the Victorian Electoral Commission.
Catholics told how not to vote
The leading Catholic education body has urged Victorian families not to vote for the Greens or Independents in Saturday’s state election.
In a letter sent to more than 200,000 families across the state, the Catholic Education Commission of Victoria said they had received “nothing” from both the Greens and independents.
Executive director Jim Miles said despite writing a letter to the Greens asking for their support in addressing growing student demand, the body had not received an acknowledgment or a direct response.
“The Greens describe themselves as ‘a true friend of education’ yet have made no commitments to Catholic students or their families,” he said.
Mr Miles said independent candidates have also chosen to focus on “their own individual and local campaigns” instead of demands from the body.
“Commentators are yet to agree on what impact (independents) will have on this state election, but when funding is already secured from both major parties, why take the chance on an unknown,” he said.
“Both the Labor government and the Liberal Nationals Opposition have made commitments to supporting Catholic schools and students in recognition of the value and important role we play in the education system.”
Labor promised $717m for non-government schools and kindergartens if re-elected.
This includes $450m towards school capital infrastructure that will see an initial five new Catholic schools built in growing suburbs across Melbourne’s north and west and expanded capacity at 13 others.
The state’s opposition also committed $700m towards capital infrastructure for non-government schools if elected.
“We encourage you to write to the Premier Daniel Andrews and Opposition Leader Matthew Guy to express our collective thanks for their support,” Mr Miles said.
The letter was co-signed by all executive directors from the Dioceses, who together own and operate 500 schools across the state.
Dan stays mum on Election Day
Daniel Andrews, who built up a reputation as the press conference king through Covid, has declared he doesn’t want to speak to journalists on Election Day.
The Premier won’t hold a press conference on Saturday, instead opting to allow just one TV crew and one photographer to film him on the official polling day.
Although, what that is — or where it will be — remains a mystery.
This, obviously, comes as no surprise to those in the fourth estate.
The Andrews camp has delivered a highly stage-managed campaign — with every tiny last detail planned down to the wire — in a bid to avoid any slip-ups.
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