For sale: same-sex vote form for $1500

Those looking to sell their vote in the SSM survey face fines of more than $2000 and possible criminal charges.

Those looking to sell their vote in the same-sex marriage survey face fines of more than $2000 and possible criminal charges, as it emerged people are trying to hawk survey forms in online auctions.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics yesterday said it had contacted several online marketplaces, including eBay, Facebook, Amazon, Alibaba and Gumtree, in an attempt to preserve the integrity of the postal survey. It confirmed eBay and Facebook had said the sale of survey forms or completed responses would not comply with their policies, and these listings would be blocked and removed.

The ABS response was triggered after screenshots appeared yesterday of one person trying to sell their vote in the postal survey on eBay for a starting bid of $1500. It is understood the listing was quickly removed.

In a statement yesterday, the ABS said harsh penalties would apply to those who submitted purchased survey forms, including the prospect of up to 12 months in jail.

“The ABS considers that submission of any marriage law postal survey form with a response that has been bought or sold would likely be an offence against the Census and Statistics Act 1905 or the Commonwealth Criminal Code,” it said. The census act ­offence carried a maximum $2100 fine and the criminal code carried a maximum penalty of a year’s jail.

Acting Special Minister of State Mathias Cormann yesterday said that negotiations were continuing with Labor about safeguards around advertising during the postal survey.

Malcolm Turnbull yesterday said the government was happy to “incorporate the normal Electoral Act provisions” to the survey, but opposition legal ­affairs spokesman Mark Dreyfus said on Thursday normal election advertising rules did not go far enough.