Equality Campaign’s ‘vote YES’ text messages upset some

Unsolicited text messages urging recipients to “vote YES for a fairer Australia” have been slammed as an invasion of privacy.

Pro gay rights and marriage equality supporters gather at an Anti YES vote rally in Darlinghurst, Sydney.

Unsolicited text messages urging recipients to “vote YES for a fairer Australia” have been slammed as an invasion of privacy.

The text message, received by thousands of people across multiple states and multiple phone networks, late on Saturday from an unidentified number with the name “YesEquality”.

It read: “The Marriage Equality Survey forms have arrived! Help make history and vote YES for a fairer Australia. VoteYes.org.au”

The message contained a link to an Equality campaign website authorised by New South Wales MP Alex Greenwich, asking them whether they had yet posted their Yes vote.

Recipients have been left wondering how the Equality campaign got their phone numbers, with texts received by people on the Do Not Call register and others who planned to vote No.

A number contacted The Australian to express concerns about how the campaigners got their number and those of their children.

One recipient said they planned to make a privacy complaint to the Telecommunications Ombudsman.

how the hell did VoteYes get my phone number and send me a text to vote yes. Genuinely concerned about how they got it

— Leave Me Alone SMH (@WhoisSamSmith) September 23, 2017

Seriously @AMEquality. I did vote yes but how dare you send me a text to my phone. I did not give permission. @9NewsAUS @mirandadevine

— vanity fair oz (@vanityfairoz) September 23, 2017

@AMEquality OK I got this Text message asking me to vote yes how the F**K did you get my number ? #auspol #nothappy

— MsRebeccaRobins (@MsRebeccaRobins) September 23, 2017

Just received text message from YesEquality "telling" me to vote yes!!...what an invasion of privacy & how did they get my number??? 😠😠😠😠

— Helen 😊 & Max 🐶 (@mogg67) September 23, 2017

So yesterday two #ssm "vote no" ladies bashed on the front door and then I got a random text from the "vote yes" camp. #gettingpersonal #ssm

— Lucie Morris-Marr (@luciemorrismarr) September 23, 2017

Victorian MP Rachel Carling-Jenkins slammed the move as a gross invasion of privacy.

She told a Coalition for Marriage event in Melbourne how her elderly, conservative father Stan Carling had been floored after receiving the message on Saturday.

“How invasive, how deceptive and how very, very wrong,” she said.

As the event progressed, other members of the audience reported they were receiving the same text message.

The message urged voters who hadn’t yet posted their vote to vote Yes and to do so as soon as possible.

“With the postal survey on marriage equality landing in letterboxes around the country, it’s important that you fill in and post your YES vote as soon as possible,” the message read.

“Voting YES is the most powerful step you can take to make marriage equality a reality for all Australians.”

Voters who said they had voted Yes were congratulated with confetti, and asked to donate to the campaign either by joining telethons or to post their support for a Yes vote on social media.

“We need everyone on board to make sure Australia votes YES for marriage equality,” the site said.

“Right now, more than any other time, we need to reach out to our communities and make sure they’ve posted their YES ballots as well.”

The text-out came as Yes and No campaigns stepped up their lobbying efforts around the country as plebiscite forms arrive in letterboxes.

Thousands of Yes supporters including Equality campaign boss Tiernan Brady marched in Brisbane at a Pride rally, and a large-scale door knocking campaign kicked off for supporters of same-sex marriage.

The march came the day after Queensland’s Coalition for Marriage launched its No campaign, and a man was charged with headbutting former Prime Minister Tony Abbott, though he claimed he was not motivated by the vote.

In Melbourne, more than 500 No voters who gathered for the state’s No campaign launch at a South Wharf convention centre were interrupted by protesters.