Victoria’s hot seats LIVE updates: Amelia Hamer revealed as beneficiary of $20m family trust; Wilson is no campaign bunny as cost of living bites

Liberal Kooyong candidate Amelia Hamer’s personal wealth is back in the spotlight after a Monique Ryan campaign volunteer published court documents showing she is a beneficiary of a $20 million family trust.

Aaron Smith, a volunteer for Ryan’s campaign, posted details on social media about a recent Supreme Court of Victoria judgment involving the restructuring of a trust set up by Hamer’s late great-grandmother.

Liberal candidate for Kooyong, Amelia Hamer.Credit: Louise Trerise

“I am listed as a beneficiary in a family trust via my late great-grandmother, along with 11 other relatives. I have no oversight or control of the trust,” Hamer said in a statement.

The court document, also seen by The Age, reveals that Hamer personally received a $60,000 distribution from the trust in 2020, followed by another payment in 2021 (the amount was not disclosed in the document).

The judgment confirms that distributions to Hamer and other family members were expected to continue into the future.

The court judgment does not disclose the full extent of Hamer’s entitlement, but it ties her directly to a multimillion-dollar financial structure with ongoing benefits.

The revelation adds to growing scrutiny over Hamer’s financial background, after The Age revealed last week she owns investment properties in Canberra and London.

Hamer had been campaigning on her status as a renter when discussing the challenges of the housing market for young people without disclosing her property portfolio worth at least $2 million.

Ryan has been contacted for comment.

Goldstein Liberal candidate Tim Wilson donned bunny ears and gave away Easter eggs outside Woolworths in Moorabbin on Wednesday.

Most shoppers were happy to take a chocolate and several stopped to have a chat with Wilson who donned pink bunny ears because the supermarket had run out of the more Liberal blue colour.

Tim Wilson hands out Easter Eggs outside Woolworths in Moorabbin.Credit: Daniel Pockett

Wilson said he was secure enough in his masculinity for this not to be an issue.

“The campaign is going very well,” he said. “We’ve been in Cheltenham this morning and Brighton East. It’s been busy and lively, and we’ve had people out in Hampton, and the feedback is consistently positive.”

Wilson said he was keen to chat to people in person at this stage of the campaign before many people took off for an Easter break.

“As we get towards the end, it’s really about that direct point of contact to talk to people,” he said.

Tim Wilson was happy to don pink bunny ears and chat to people.Credit: Daniel Pockett

Shopper Jane Brown said the cost of living was a big election issue for her.

“The meat and veg at the supermarket, like the basic staples, are just out of control,” she said. “Other than that, I guess safety in the community, petrol prices, just the standard of living for the average Joe is unattainable.”

Brown said she had voted Labor last election but was “smack bang in the middle” this election.

“I don’t know which way I will vote,” she said. “It will be on the day, however my mood is.”

Gloria, who did not want to give her full name, was also undecided as to whom she would vote for, but said she had been a Labor voter in the past.

“Housing is a big issue for me,” she said. “I don’t want to rent and I don’t want to go into commission housing.”

When asked what she thought of the two frontrunners in Goldstein – Zoe Daniel and Wilson – Gloria said she had their pamphlets on her coffee table and needed to go back and read them.

Satoru Hasegawa said his most important issue was the economy.

“I like the Liberals [this time],” he said, even though he had not voted Liberal at the last election.

He said the free chocolate Easter eggs from Wilson had not been the determinative factor swinging his vote.

Weaving along Paperbark Street in Doveton, hijabi women with school children and tradies in work clothes walk along the pavement lined with gumtrees.

The homes are classic Australian suburbia – weatherboard exteriors, security blinds, mowed lawns and makeshift swings.

A few have signs for Liberal candidate Zahid Safi hanging on the front fence.

But when you get to the small strip of shops, there is a clear winner – five posters for Labor candidate Julian Hill, one for Greens candidate Rhonda Garad and none for Safi.

Nazifi is not yet sure who she will vote for in the election.Credit: Charlotte Grieve

Nazifa, 21, who did not want to share her surname, was working behind the counter in a takeaway store selling a variety of freshly baked bolanis, an Afghan stuffed flatbread.

She hasn’t yet made up her mind on who to vote for, but shares the concerns of her father – who has been struggling with rising interest rates and steep grocery prices.

“Why are prices going from lowest to highest?” she says. “My dad is hoping things like that can get settled.”

She is aware of Hill and Garad but says she needs to find out more about their policies, to ensure her vote goes towards creating a better future.

“You’re worried about how life is going to turn out, people not being fair towards you,” she says.

Down another suburban street, more Safi posters appear – this time defaced with black spray paint. While corflute vandalism has been common in seats like Wills, in Melbourne’s inner north, this was the first time I’ve seen it in Bruce.

Doveton is strong Labor territory. The local polling booth saw a 6 per cent swing to the Liberals last year, but Hill still reaped more than double the first-preference votes of his opponent.

Doveton is also home to the mosque where Safi and Liberal MP Jason Wood were heckled during Eid prayers in March.

On another quiet strip of shops, I find Pakistan-born Fakhir Anwar down on one knee scrubbing paint from the large Safi signs displayed in his office window.

Fakhir Anwar says people should not deface political posters.Credit: Charlotte Grieve

Anwar says this is the second time his signs have been vandalised, and he’s set up security cameras because he’s certain it won’t be the last.

“Zahid [Safi] told me already … somebody might break your glass,” he says. “It doesn’t matter, Labor or Liberal, they shouldn’t show hate. It looks bad.”

A vandalised poster in DovetonCredit: Charlotte Grieve

The signs are displayed from a small shopfront with Australian flag branding and a sign that reads “Zahir Golden Five Star Barber” but Anwar says he now runs an NDIS business there.

He met Safi, who also runs a string of NDIS businesses, at industry training seminars and believes he is “good for the community”.

“Zahid is a new young guy and is very helpful in the community. His whole family are very helpful. He belongs to Afghan, I’m from Pakistan.”

He thinks the Liberal Party is “more focused on businesses” but he works with religious organisation Ahmadiyya Muslim Association, which he said was open to supporting to both parties.

“We’re not strict with any party. Whoever need help, we try our best to provide volunteers.”

If you want to share your thoughts, tips or upcoming community events, please feel free to get in touch by emailing [e-mail].

Liberal Kooyong candidate Amelia Hamer’s personal wealth is back in the spotlight after a Monique Ryan campaign volunteer published court documents showing she is a beneficiary of a $20 million family trust.

Aaron Smith, a volunteer for Ryan’s campaign, posted details on social media about a recent Supreme Court of Victoria judgment involving the restructuring of a trust set up by Hamer’s late great-grandmother.

Liberal candidate for Kooyong, Amelia Hamer.Credit: Louise Trerise

“I am listed as a beneficiary in a family trust via my late great-grandmother, along with 11 other relatives. I have no oversight or control of the trust,” Hamer said in a statement.

The court document, also seen by The Age, reveals that Hamer personally received a $60,000 distribution from the trust in 2020, followed by another payment in 2021 (the amount was not disclosed in the document).

The judgment confirms that distributions to Hamer and other family members were expected to continue into the future.

The court judgment does not disclose the full extent of Hamer’s entitlement, but it ties her directly to a multimillion-dollar financial structure with ongoing benefits.

The revelation adds to growing scrutiny over Hamer’s financial background, after The Age revealed last week she owns investment properties in Canberra and London.

Hamer had been campaigning on her status as a renter when discussing the challenges of the housing market for young people without disclosing her property portfolio worth at least $2 million.

Ryan has been contacted for comment.

It’s public forum season in campaigning for the seat of Wills, with four held in four days. Saturday’s North of Bell Street (NOBS) forum in Fawkner, as previously flagged in this blog, tackled poverty, public high schools, the Upfield train line, the environment, violence against women, and Gaza.

On Monday night, the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre hosted its forum in Coburg. Labor MP Peter Khalil, who’d skipped the Fawkner event, showed up, and fired up, responding sharply to comments from Greens candidate Samantha Ratnam.

Labor MP for Wills Peter Khalil with Sue Bolton, the Socialist Alliance candidate, and Samantha Ratnam, the Greens candidate, at the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre’s forum.Credit: Clay Lucas

Khalil was pushed to fury by comments from Ratnam that refugees who were dealt a tough hand under Scott Morrison had languished in uncertainty under Labor.

“I’m actually a bit angry because most of what was said are really good talking points, but they’re not true,” Khalil said.

Ratnam’s statement claimed that Labor had failed to “fulfil its promise” in an “absolute betrayal” to do away with the previous government’s “really cruel ‘fast track’ process, which was designed to exclude people from refugee protection, despite being genuine refugees”.

Khalil said he had “spent years listening to traumatic stories” and helping refugees, and that Labor had restored checks and balances, and “natural justice [so people] can appeal their cases”.

“I’ve worked my heart and soul to help thousands of refugees and asylum seekers, some of whom are in this room, and I don’t appreciate the lies that have been told about me and about what our government does,” Khalil said to finish his long and forceful response to Ratnam.

Ratnam did not resile from her comments, telling the crowd that Australia had “to be more generous. Australia is truly capable of it, but we need leaders to represent the values of our country”.

On Tuesday night, Ratnam and Socialist Alliance candidate Sue Bolton returned to the same Coburg venue – same time, same set-up.

This time, the topic was Palestine – an issue on which Khalil is under intense scrutiny in Wills because of what many see as Labor’s tepid response to Israel’s actions since October 7, 2023, and more specifically Khalil’s previous statement in years gone by that he is “a friend of Israel”.

He didn’t attend the rally, run by Free Palestine Melbourne and Muslim Votes Matter, a group actively campaigning against him. The crowd wasn’t quite as big as Monday’s, but nearly.

Ratnam was asked to share her story: arriving from war-torn Sri Lanka in the late 1980s as part of a Tamil family seeking safety in Australia.

While he skipped the Palestine forum, Khalil did attend a Save Our Arts event at radio station 3RRR’s Brunswick East studios.

Labor MP for Wills Peter Khalil (right) at a forum on the arts at RRR radio station in East Brunswick. Seated next to him is Greens senator Steph Hodgins-May. Credit: Clay Lucas

This forum kicked off at precisely the same time as the Palestine event, so being at both was not an option.

Drawing on his time as SBS’s former strategy and communications chief, Khalil stressed the need for home-grown stories on screen. Australia needed “actual Australian stories”, he said.

“These films are made in Queensland with The Rock running around pretending he is in Los Angeles. Yes, you get a lot of creative workers who are getting good jobs and so on, but they’re not Australian stories fundamentally,” he said.

He said Labor was conducting a “thorough consultation” on local content, and he was urging Arts Minister Tony Burke to ensure creators were paid fairly and guaranteed ongoing work.

In all, by the time pre-polling starts next week – and this is where candidates will spend most of their time until election day – Wills will have hosted nine forums.

Melbourne turned on an unseasonably warm afternoon on Tuesday for Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek’s visit to Bruce.

She arrived in a blue sedan filled with young female staffers on a gravel road near a skate park in suburban Doveton, about 30 kilometres south-east of Melbourne, about 3.50pm.

Tanya Plibersek with Julian Hill on the campaign trail in Bruce.Credit: Charlotte Grieve

In tow were local MP Julian Hill, Casey Mayor Stefan Koomen, and constituents Margaret Fairhurst and Josh Oostwoud. The event? Photos near a ditch with patches of concrete that’s being transformed into a flowing creek, thanks, in part, to $10 million of federal government funding.

After photos were snapped and reels were filmed, Plibersek notes this is not a campaign promise – the funding has already been secured. So why are you here? I ask, politely.

“We’ve got more than 100 projects like this around Australia. I like to get to as many of them as I can, and I also wanted to visit Julian because he’s the best,” she says.

Plibersek and the member for Bruce have known each other for more than 30 years, as they climbed the ranks of the Labor Party to hold senior ministerial positions.

They routinely go for brisk morning walks in Canberra at 6am, where Hill insists on buying the coffees – “double piccolo for TP!” he chimes in – as they chew over the issues of the day, ranging from national security to local regeneration projects.

Plibersek, wearing a dark green pantsuit and matching sneakers, says Hill is best known for his savvy social media skills, but she stresses that his ability goes beyond viral clips and punchy one-liners.

She points out his work in employment services as a senior bureaucrat, and later chairing the public accounts and audits committee – “nerdy but niche”, Hill chimes in again.

“What most people don’t see in a member of parliament is the work they do in Canberra on committees that is actually shaping policy directions for the future in a way that means we actually get good results,” says Plibersek.

“How do we get value for taxpayers’ money? How do we make sure we don’t make the same mistakes over and over again? That work Julian has done with extraordinary skill.”

Plibersek became emotional as she praised Hill’s efforts to fast-track citizenship for Afghan nationals who had helped Australia during the war.

“Scott Morrison didn’t do a good job of Australia’s time in Afghanistan, and the consequences were felt here in this community,” she says.

Hill says constituents routinely approach him on the street desperate for answers on painful visa delays, and that he’s proud of his work reuniting families.

“No one has advocated more strongly for the Afghan community than Julian has,” Plibersek says.

Asked for her thoughts on the Liberal candidate for Bruce, Afghanistan-born Zahid Safi, Plibersek paused, smiled, and declined to answer.

“I don’t know him,” she says. “I’ll keep my thoughts to myself.”

She also ducked questions about the influence of Muslim Votes Matter, a lobby group deploying volunteers in Bruce to campaign for Greens candidate Rhonda Garad in response to Labor’s handling of the Gaza war.

“It’s not a matter for me,” she says. “I can talk about Julian and what I know of him.”

And with that, she was whisked away by her staffers for a few more selfies. “A quick photo and then we’ve got to run,” one says.

Koomen remarked Plibersek was among the highest-profile ministers to visit Bruce, and within minutes, they were back in the car and on the road.

Independent MP Zoe Daniel says people are screaming at her on the street during this election campaign as bad behaviour on social media spills over into real life.

The claims come after Daniel reported harassment and stalking to police at the weekend, after she was doxxed in a Facebook post that included a photo of her car with the licence plate visible, taken from inside a private locked garage.

Zoe Daniel campaigns at Highett station.Credit: Cara Waters

The teal MP for Goldstein made the comment on a podcast with Neil Mitchell, where she called out the aggressive behaviour.

“In general, social media has a lot to answer for in the way that people engage with each other in the community on the street,” she said.

“People will say horrendous things on social media that they would previously have never said face-to-face. But I notice now, even in the last few days, that people are prepared to say things to me – scream things at me, really, on the street – that they would never have previously said.”

Daniel said people felt enabled because they were speaking to each other or “shouting online” to such a degree that it was now spilling over into real life.

“I think it’s really dangerous,” she said.

Daniel told Mitchell she was also concerned about the impact of negative campaigning, including billboards, hit sheets and attack ads.

“Unfortunately … as someone who’s on the receiving end of hit sheets in letterboxes and attack ads and billboards all along the Nepean Highway, I drive past them and just sort of roll my eyes and shake my head,” she said.

Daniel said the ads came from the Liberal Party and its proxies.

“If we’re having a conversation about being able to have reasoned debate about important issues for our country, that’s what we should be doing in the lead-up to an election, rather than delivering people hit sheets or attack ads.”

The Liberal Party declined to comment directly on Daniel’s claims and instead sent through talking points about her voting record.

Independent MP Monique Ryan has hit out at the Liberal Party over a satirical social media post that depicts her as a frowning action figure, calling the AI-generated meme “insulting” and demanding Liberal challenger Amelia Hamer clarify whether she endorses it.

The image, posted today on the Liberal Victoria Facebook page, shows Ryan inside Barbie-style toy packaging under the label: “MONIQUE RYAN – VOTES WITH THE GREENS 77% OF THE TIME.” (See this post for context on that statistic.)

The Liberal Party’s AI-generated action figure image of Monique Ryan.Credit: Facebook

Her fictional accessories? A stack of face masks (referencing this episode), a Greens party logo, an Amelia Hamer sign (a nod to the incident involving Ryan’s husband), and a book titled The First Teal Prime Minister: A Dream Journal.

The caption adds another jab: “Batteries not included. May require Climate 200 funding to operate.”

The post riffs off the viral “Barbie Box Challenge”, where people use generative AI tools like ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot to transform themselves into packaged action figures.

Politicians and celebrities have jumped on board – including Hamer, who shared a Barbie-style image of herself earlier this week.

But Ryan says this one was “personal” and suggested it was sexist.

“In March 2024, in The Age, Amelia Hamer called out sexism and said there wouldn’t be any cat-fighting in the 2025 Kooyong campaign,” Ryan said.

“The Liberal campaign is negative and personal. I do not see that the women of Kooyong would see this meme as anything other than insulting.”

She added: “I challenge Amelia Hamer to publicly state whether or not she condones it.”

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was also a target.Credit: Facebook

I asked Hamer and her team for comment and was sent a statement attributed to senior Liberal senator Jane Hume.

The statement said it was “bewildering” that Ryan had such strong opinions about a meme before falsely claiming that she had no opinion about politicians paying social media influencers.

This was a reference to Ryan’s appearance on the ABC’s Insiders program at the weekend where she initially declined to state a view, but followed that up on Monday saying she felt politicians should disclose if they’ve paid for social media content.

The Liberal Party also pointed out it had created the action figures meme for other opponents, including Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and independent Wannon candidate Alex Dyson.

Hume concluded her short statement saying: “I think the voters of Kooyong are less concerned about trending memes and more concerned about the fact that their local member votes with the Greens 77 per cent of the time.”

In Kooyong and Goldstein where the Liberals and teals are battling it out, legions of volunteers are kitted out in either electric-blue or teal T-shirts, depending on their team colours.

On the well-heeled streets of Kooyong, the accessory du jour is a tote bag. Amelia Hamer’s team has been spotted at shopping strips handing out free canvas bags, each with a flyer tucked inside. There are plenty of teal totes in circulation, too – so many, in fact, that the official Monique Ryan online merch store has sold out of them.

Ryan’s merch isn’t just for show, but is a fundraiser, too. Her campaign’s got the full collection: T-shirts ($20), hoodies ($25), caps ($10), bucket hats ($10), beanies ($10) and a “keep cup” for $15, perfectly sized for a triple-shot latte on the go.

Over in Goldstein, a table set up at the Kingston Town Hall for Zoe Daniel’s campaign launch was filled with campaign merchandise for sale. Up for grabs were teal Zoe Daniel T-shirts for $20, hoodies for $60 (making Ryan’s hoodie a comparative bargain), hats for $20 and statement earrings for $25.

Don’t worry though, with the launch over, these items are all for sale on Daniel’s online store, which is doing a roaring trade in T-shirts which had to be re-ordered after selling out of the initial runs.

Corflutes and stickers are free.

“We’ve had 300 orders of car window decals,” Daniel’s spokeswoman said. “Some of our volunteers have been having ‘crafternoons’ to make dog bandanas and sparkly Zoe caps.”

Tim Wilson at his campaign launch at Brighton Town Hall.Credit: Wayne Taylor

Liberal candidate Tim Wilson isn’t selling any merch but is giving away electric-blue Tim Wilson T-shirts for free, and filled the Brighton Town Hall to capacity with supporters wearing the gear at his own launch.

Wilson and the Liberal Party declined to comment on how many T-shirts had been given away.

Over in Wills, there is no merch for Labor’s Peter Khalil, but the Greens have been adopting a homemade approach to Samantha Ratnam’s campaign gear.

“Our volunteers have been screen-printing the Sam for Wills heart T-shirt at our doorknocking days of action and other campaign events,” a spokeswoman said. “And some of our volunteers have been making their own merch like the [Charli XCX] brat-inspired T-shirt.”

Samantha Ratnam wears a brat-style T-shirt supporting her candidacy in the seat of Wills for the Greens.

Bruce is at this stage a merch-free zone.

Dr Andrew Hughes, political marketing lecturer at the Australian National University, said it was interesting how the different candidates used merchandise.

“It matches up to how in demand they are, or [to] their perception in the community of being cool,” he said. “The teals were, last election, but not this election. So what may have been attractive last election probably wouldn’t necessarily work this election.”

Hughes questioned whether any campaign merch could ever surpass Pauline Hanson’s rum (only $1900 for a signed bottle on Ebay) or Jacqui Lambie’s Jabba the Hut poster.

In contrast, he said most campaign merchandise was “very run-of-the-mill” but served a useful purpose.

“It’s good when you’re walking your dog for example, you’ve got a cup of coffee in a keep cup from a candidate,” he said. “It’s a very subtle way of endorsing and supporting a candidate without really shouting it from the rooftops and being the person who doorknocks you on the weekend.”

With Rachael Dexter, Clay Lucas and Charlotte Grieve

Last night, I attended a fiery Dandenong Council meeting that moved to temporarily stop referring to the central Thomas Street shopping strip as the “Afghan Bazaar” until after the election.

The naming of the shopping strip that sells skewered meats and freshly baked flat breads has been simmering for years but has now become a hot button issue energising voters I’ve spoken to ahead of the federal election.

Outside Dandenong Council meeting on Monday night.Credit: Charlotte Grieve

It’s a complex debate that encapsulates national identity, genocide and who gets to decide the branding of a migrant community. And now, it’s playing into the federal election campaign, with claims that politicians are weaponising ethnic tensions for votes flying around left, right and centre.

Bruce is home to Victoria’s largest group of voters born in Afghanistan, made up of multiple ethnic groups, including Hazaras, which are the most populous in the electorate, and Pashtuns, the dominant group in Afghanistan.

Earlier this year, a petition was launched by some Hazaras calling for the shopping strip to be renamed “Little Bamiyan”, claiming the word “Afghan” was linked to genocide of their people and the name was traumatising to many who lived and worked in the area.

The Pashtuns responded with a counter petition, calling for the Afghan Bazaar name to be protected as a symbol of national pride and a lucrative marketing tool for local traders. They claimed any suggestion to the contrary was divisive because all people in Afghanistan had suffered under the Taliban. Both petitions garnered more than 30,000 signatures.

Khalid Amiri holds a protest placard outside the Dandenong Council meeting alongside Mash Ahmadzai on Monday night.Credit: Charlotte Grieve

Greens councillor turned federal candidate Rhonda Garad helped bring the Hazaras’ petition to council in March. It was voted down unanimously by Labor-aligned councillors, who felt the Afghan Bazaar name should stay.

Many Hazaras, who have long been Labor supporters felt let down, and began campaigning for Garad in the federal election.

However, on Monday night, the council’s position changed. A new motion was brought forward to temporarily suspend all references to the Afghan Bazaar name until after a round of community consultation that would begin in May, conveniently after the federal election.

While the Hazaras celebrated outside with music and dancing, Pashtuns in the room were furious. Some I spoke with felt the council was now doing the bidding of Labor candidate Julian Hill to win votes among Hazaras.

“Shame on you guys!” one person shouted in the chamber. “Shame! Shame!”

Dozens of men, wearing a combination of traditional Afghan clothes and western suits, filed out of the room, some holding placards reading, “Dandenong council don’t play with our identity”.

“This is a Labor power play … The Age? Who was she invited by? The Labor Party?” one man shouted into the hallway.

To complicate matters even further, Bruce Liberal candidate Zahid Safi is from Pashtun background.

A submission to a government inquiry into the war in Afghanistan that Safi co-authored in 2021, in which he criticised Hazara “warlords” in the country, has been circulating in WhatsApp groups and drawing condemnation from local Hazaras.

Privately, Labor blames the Greens for flaming ethnic tensions by supporting the Hazara petition. The Greens blame Labor for not listening to the community. Some Hazaras believe the Liberal campaign is now whipping up Pashtun opposition for political gain, too.

Whichever way you slice it, emotions have reached fever pitch.

In a statement, Hill said the name was a matter for the council, and denied exploiting divisions in the community.

“While out doorknocking, the overwhelming feedback is most people think it should simply remain named Thomas Street,” he said.

“If there is a marketing term for Thomas Street then it should be something that attracts people to shop and eat.”

Barat Batoor, who started the first petition, flipped open his phone to show several abusive messages he said he had received in recent weeks, including a video of one man dressed in a balaclava issuing threats to his life and calling him a “mice eater”, a racist trope for Hazaras.

As we were speaking, I received a text message from Namatullah Kadrie, another Hazara community member, with a link to a fresh petition.

“Zahid Safi is unfit to represent the people of Bruce in the Australian Federal Parliament,” was the title.

Within a few hours, it had more than 1000 signatures. “This will triple overnight,” Kadrie said.

Part of the petition reads: “We, the undersigned voters of Bruce, and Australians who value truth, inclusivity and respect call on the Liberal Party of Australia to immediately dis-endorse Zahid Safi as the party’s candidate and/or for Safi to apologise and withdraw his candidacy for the upcoming federal election.”

The petition now has more than 5000 signatures. Community leaders are calling for calm, but the battle lines have been drawn. While the Gaza war is dominating political debate in many electorates this election – in Bruce, it’s another deep-seated conflict that’s mobilising votes.

Safi did not respond to requests for comment, but a party spokesperson said the Liberals were very proud to support Safi, describing him as “a candidate whose family fled Afghanistan because of the Taliban and has chosen to make Australia his home because of the freedom and lifestyle our country offers”.

“It is unfortunate that Zahid has been the victim of prejudice because of his Afghan background, but Zahid is not defined by his background, and will continue to campaign to represent all the residents of Bruce, regardless of their background.”

Liberals in Goldstein and Kooyong are preferencing One Nation ahead of the teals and Greens.

Tim Wilson posted his how-to-vote card on social media this morning, showing that he is preferencing Pauline Hanson’s One Nation party ahead of teal independent Zoe Daniel and the Greens.

In 2019, Wilson argued in favour of putting One Nation last on how to vote cards.

In 2022, as the Liberal MP for Goldstein, Wilson put One Nation ahead of Daniel and the Greens, having previously made a point of declaring that One Nation would be put last.

This was a change in position from March 2019, when Wilson posted: “I have had a longstanding view that we should put One Nation and their despicable acolytes last.”

In April 2019, he criticised Labor for preferencing the One Nation candidate, who he said was antisemitic.

Times have changed, it seems, and Wilson’s card looks like this:

1. Liberal – Tim Wilson
2. Libertarian – David Segal
3. Labor – Nildhara Gadani
4. Pauline Hanson’s One Nation – Leon Gardiner
5. Trumpet of Patriots – Vicki Jane Williams
6. Independent – Zoe Daniel
7. Greens – Alana Galli-McRostie

A Liberal Party spokesman said the party was required to number every box so voters who followed their card did not lodge an informal vote.

“Claims we are preferencing the One Nation candidate are false,” he said. “There are seven candidates in the seat of Goldstein. The One Nation candidate is numbered four on our how-to-vote card, behind Labor.”

Daniel does not direct preferences.

A spokeswoman for Daniel said she ran an open ticket asking people to vote No.1 for her and to then number every box when deciding their own preferences.

“How they do that is a statement of their values and priorities,” she said. “People can make a judgment on the Liberal Party’s values based on who they are directing their preferences to.”

Preference deals have also been sorted in Kooyong with Liberal candidate Amelia Hamer also posting her how-to-vote card this morning.

Hamer’s card is as follows:

1. Liberal – Amelia Hamer
2. Libertarian Party – Richard Peppard
3. Labor – Clive Crosby
4. One Nation – Camille Brache
5. Independent – Monique Ryan
6. Trumpet of Patriots – David Vader
7. Greens – Jackie Carter

For the Senate, all Victorian Coalition candidates’ how-to-vote cards ask voters to follow this voting order: Liberal/ The Nationals, Family First, Libertarian Party, Pauline Hanson’s One Nation, Sustainable Australia Party and Australian Democrats.

One Nation was contacted for comment. We’re reaching out to other parties and candidates for their preferences, too.