‘Wild West’ election hots up as town pest runs for public office

Temperatures are rising on the local government election hustings down in Snowy Monaro, where serial pest Andrew Thaler – who uses his social media platform to insult prominent local women crudely and has been banned from council buildings, local businesses and the Country Women’s Association – is running for public office.

First came a ruckus over surveillance cameras, set up in a shop opposite a pre-polling booth in Cooma. Thaler and other candidates hired the shop to display their corflute signs. Some residents were furious, saying they felt spied upon while voting. The Country Women’s Association sent a letter of protest, signed by 12 members, to NSW Police.

Andrew Thaler uses his social media platform to crudely insult prominent local women.Credit: The Sydney Morning Herald

“The members expressed their dismay as they did not want to be recorded whilst voting at the library for the pre-poll,” the CWA letter said. Thaler said on social media the cameras were for security and “to keep Labor under some kind of control”, but took them down after a request from what he described as a “very nervous” lessor.

Then came more slurs against a group of women, including rival candidates, after they spoke to this masthead about feeling helpless to stop years of insults they’ve copped from Thaler via his social media channels. It has included telling them to “suck a dick”, describing them as dumb, venal, a “piece of shit”, and branding them narcissistic, manipulative liars.

On Thursday, the federal minister for local government, Kristy McBain, who is also the member for Eden-Monaro, revealed she had also been “subjected to persistent online insults, false accusations and intrusive filming from Mr Thaler”.

Thaler, the aspiring councillor and gonzo broadcaster, responded to the women’s story by musing on his social media channel about “why a grab-bag of fat, angry, jabbed [vaccinated] and boosted women hate me soo [sic] much?” “Meanwhile young men swiping left [a reference to dating apps] end up being confronted [by] these cohorts of angry, self-loathing women.”

Then eyebrows shot up after word spread that Thaler had applied for an AVO against a neighbour he accused of using an “aggressive tone” when posting about him online. “Police believe that without a Personal Violence Order in place the defendant will continue his fixated behaviour against [Thaler and his wife],” the application, dated September 4, said.

Estimates of Thaler’s electoral chances vary. Some say they’re strong because of his alliances with other independents, and some say they’re low, given a community backlash against his attempts to speak for the family of an elderly woman allegedly killed in a police Tasering incident (when the family distanced himself from them, he described them as scum). Others say it’s too hard to tell, owing to the unusually high number of candidates this year.

“Grubs feed on the oxygen and notoriety of publicity,” said NSW local government minister Ron Hoenig. “I trust the voters of Snowy Monaro to make the right call on the character of their council candidates.”

Thaler’s insults, accusations and video ambushes have left many women, particularly political candidates in Nimmitabel and Cooma, feeling harassed, pestered and intimidated.

Yet that type of behaviour is not isolated to the Snowy region. Licia Heath, the chief executive of Women for Election, said she knew of many female council candidates who had been targeted.

“The targeting has gone from verbal abuse to physical intimidation, damage of cars, damage of homes, following people, and using intimidating tactics because they’re threatened by women who want to take positions of power and influence in our community, to do good for the community,” she said.

McBain said she was worried about the impact on communities “if we allow thugs to scare off good candidates”.

“I know committed, skilled councillors that have decided not to recontest due to targeted abuse. We don’t want good ideas and fresh perspectives going to waste, which is why I encourage women to put their hand up for local council, and to report unlawful behaviour to the appropriate authorities at the earliest opportunity.”

Heath said the behaviour of state and federal politicians was scrutinised [but] “there is a complete lack of oversight and scrutiny of behaviour at the local government level”. She hoped it would increase before the next elections.

Former Nationals state MP Bronnie Taylor with Snowy Monaro Labor councillor Tanya Higgins are among the women who’ve been intimidated by Thaler. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

The Snowy Monaro local elections are hard-fought this year. There are seven teams vying for about 16,000 votes, and Thaler is first in a group of seven, meaning he will sit prominently above the line on the ballot paper. In a NSW Electoral Commission declaration, three of his six teammates were blunt about why they are running. “To support Andrew Thaler and [another independent] to be elected,” they said.

If Thaler wins a spot on council he will have to attend meetings remotely as a 2018 ban on his attendance – due to a “risk to the health and safety” of council workers due to his “aggressive, disruptive, verbally abusive” behaviour – still stands. Thaler contested the 2022 federal election, where he won 2 per cent of the vote, and the 2023 state election, where he attracted 3.65 per cent.

The principles of democracy mean most people can run for office. There are disqualifying factors, such as anyone serving a sentence, or anyone who has, over the previous seven years, been convicted of an offence carrying a punishment of five years in prison or more.

Thaler’s history of low-level interactions with the court system has stretched over two decades. While he has been found guilty of a few matters, such as contravening an AVO and assaulting a police officer in the execution of duty, he has often been dealt with under section 10 (which means no conviction is recorded), or given good behaviour bonds.

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