Fed-up Liberal MPs ready to call out GetUp

Two Liberal MPs are determined to expose election campaign tactics of GetUp before parliament.

Boothby MP Nicolle Flint. Picture: John Feder

The tactics of left-wing activist group GetUp in the last election campaign could be laid bare before a parliamentary committee as two Liberal backbenchers prepare to lodge complaints to the inquiry into the May 18 poll.

Liberal MPs Nicolle Flint and Kevin Andrews will formally complain about GetUp’s election tactics, which could see office bearers from the activist group hauled before parliament to ­explain their conduct.

Ms Flint says a joint campaign by GetUp and Labor nearly broke her. Aggressive tactics in her suburban Adelaide seat of Boothby led to vandals attacking her office and the 41-year-old politician being stalked.

“I will be making a detailed submission to the joint standing committee on electoral matters regarding the behaviour of the Australian Labor Party, GetUp and the unions in the seat of Boothby during the election campaign,” she told The Australian.

“I will provide detailed evidence as to their tactics, which included: flooding the electorate with print material personally ­attacking me; flooding Facebook, Twitter and Instagram with personal attacks on me; (and) organising protesters outside my electorate office, at community events, at public transport stops, at Liberal events and at community debates.”

Mr Andrews, the former defence minister, who won his Melbourne seat of Menzies in May despite a strong campaign against him, will also make a submission.

“I intend to make a submission to the committee about the activities of GetUp and its affiliates,” he told The Australian yesterday.

Mr Andrews previously told The Australian he was falsely ­accused of supporting gay conversion therapy, a topic he has never discussed, with GetUp withdrawing the claim only after he threatened legal action.

He was also targeted by a multicultural group called Colour Code, which shared the same ­address as GetUp and distributed material in Mandarin to Chinese-Australian voters in his Melbourne electorate of Menzies labelling him a racist.

GetUp has denied responsibility for Ms Flint’s treatment, saying it had posted a tweet during the campaign condemning the ­attacks on her office.

A GetUp spokesman told The Australian yesterday the organisation would be “happy” to appear before MPs if they were hauled before the electoral affairs committee.

The spokesman also rejected claims that the activist network was not transparent about its ­financial accounting.

“GetUp has prepared submissions for and appeared before JSCEM multiple times,” he said.

“We are of course happy to assist the committee and will continue to do so in order to defend and advance Australian democratic participation.

“GetUp is strictly regulated under the Commonwealth Electoral Act. GetUp is obliged to disclose cumulative donations of $13,800 or more in a financial year to the Australian Electoral Commission (as are political parties).

“But because GetUp is passionate about transparency in our democracy, we disclose all cumulative donations of $10,000 or more in real time — unlike political parties, whose donations remain secret beyond election cycles.”

Labor shadow special minister of state Don Farrell — who represents the opposition on electoral matters — has been approached for comment on Ms Flint’s ­accusations.