Election protection for candidates on agenda

The government examines new measures to protect candidates from violence, harassment and bullying during elections.

The Morrison government is considering new measures to protect candidates from violence, harassment and bullying during federal elections to try to prevent a repeat of “one of the ugliest campaigns” that was waged against outgoing Liberal MP Nicolle Flint.

The joint standing committee on electoral matters has recommended a new “electoral violence” offence be added to the Electoral Act, which would cover behaviour in an election such as violence, obscene or discriminatory abuse, property damage and stalking candidates or their supporters.

Assistant Minister for Electoral Matters Ben Morton noted that many of the offences listed in the recommendation were already covered by federal and state criminal codes but added: “I am looking very carefully at the committee proposals to understand what more could be possible to protect participants in an election from ­intimidatory conduct.”

“I share the concerns of the Prime Minister with regards to the highly inappropriate and vitriolic actions of some campaigners at the last federal election. These individuals need to be held responsible for their conduct.”

All of JSCEM’s recommen­dations outlined in its report on the conduct of the 2019 federal election, including the “electoral violence” offence and a measure that would force campaigners who don’t represent a candidate to stand 100m from a polling booth entrance, are being considered.

Pressure on the government over its treatment of women has shifted to Labor after a series of sexual assault and harassment allegations from a private Facebook group for staff was published and Ms Flint accused senior members of the ALP of failing to condemn her being “chased, harassed and screamed at” by GetUp, Labor and union supporters during the 2019 election campaign.

Illustration: Johannes Leak

However on Wednesday night a Morrison government media ­adviser resigned shortly after being accused in the Tasmanian parliament of calling Greens leader Cassy O’Connor a “meth-head c…’’ in 2019. Ms O’Connor used parliamentary privilege to describe the staffer, Andrew Hudgson, as a “sexist pig’’ over the jibe which was directed at her while he was working for then Tasmanian premier Will Hodgman.

A Morrison government spokesman said Mr Hudgson had been asked to resign after the incident was raised by Ms O’Connor in the Tasmanian parliament. The government had been unaware of the allegations until they were raised in the speech.

The government is also looking at how to ensure staffers can participate in Sex Discrimination Commissioner Kate Jenkins’s review into parliament’s workplace culture without their allegations being made public.

A growing group of former and current Labor and Liberal staffers have asked Scott Morrison and Anthony Albanese for stronger privacy protections, saying the publication of allegations could “significantly damage a victim’s career” and retraumatise them.

The women, who include former Liberal staffer Brittany Higgins and former Albanese, Shorten and Rudd Labor staffer Fiona Sugden, say legislative changes are required to exempt the review from the Freedom of Information and Archives acts.

Attempting to move the spotlight on to Labor, Mr Morrison said Ms Flint had endured “one of the ugliest campaigns I’ve ever seen waged” and the ALP, unions and GetUp “just stood by and let that happen”. The Prime Minister revealed Ms Flint had indicated to him she would not contest the next election ahead of last year’s December ministry reshuffle.

Labor’s Senate leader Penny Wong said it was unfair to seek to tie her and opposition women spokeswoman Tanya Plibersek to the “utterly unacceptable” treatment. She and Ms Plibersek offered to work with Ms Flint “to make things better not just for ourselves but for all women in this workplace”.

The Australian understands the three are trying to find a time to meet, with Ms Flint saying she was encouraged by Senator Wong’s invitation.

NSW Liberal MP Fiona Martin also called out intimidating behaviour by GetUp volunteers, saying she was pushed by one of their campaigners and had a corflute pulled out of her hand during the 2019 election campaign.

“I did experience what I would describe as quite aggressive behaviour at the booth down in Ashfield, and I was affected by that at the time,” Ms Martin told Sky News.

GetUp did not respond to Ms Martin’s claim but labelled the campaign against Ms Flint as ­“abhorrent” and said it had gone “to great lengths to confirm our members were not involved”.