Labor minister Tanya Plibersek’s purple flyer in Sydney’s inner west

A pamphlet from Tanya Plibersek announcing boundary changes has attracted attention — not just for its message — but for its unexpected purple colour instead of Labor’s signature red.

Minister for the Environment and Water Tanya Plibersek. Picture: Supplied

Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek has distributed flyers announcing that Balmain, Birchgrove, Lilyfield, and Rozelle will be shifting into the federal electorate of Sydney, but the choice of colour on the flyer is not typically used by Labor ministers.

The flyer, printed in purple rather than Labor’s signature red, informs residents of their move into the Sydney electorate following changes made by the Australian Electoral Commission.

The flyer was obtained by The Daily Telegraph after being distributed throughout the electorate’s traditionally strong Greens support.

“I wanted to take this opportunity to let you know the Australian Electoral Commission has made changes to a number of New South Wales electorates,” Plibersek’s flyer states.

“This means at the next federal election your household will vote in the electorate of Sydney.”

The flyer then outlines key promises from the Albanese Labor Government on issues such as education, health and climate change.

The flyer outlined boundary changes.

Plibersek, who has represented Sydney since 1998, welcomed the returning suburbs and highlighted her enthusiasm for serving them again.

“I’m delighted to have you back in the Sydney electorate, and I hope to serve you again as your local member of parliament,” the flyer reads.

Minister for the Environment and Water Tanya Plibersek’s flyer. Picture: Supplied

However, the flyer’s purple design may raise speculation about potential strategic messaging ahead of the next federal election.

In the 2019 federal election, the Victorian Liberal Party placed Chinese-language signs at polling booths in Kooyong and Chisholm that resembled official Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) materials.

The signs, in AEC-style white and purple, instructed voters in Chinese to preference the Liberal Party first, which a senior Liberal figure, Simon Frost, later admitted in court was intentional.

The case, brought by an independent candidate and a voter, sought to overturn the election results, arguing the signs misled Chinese-speaking voters into believing they were official voting instructions.

Ms Plibersek told The Telegraph she had used the colour in her campaign material for more than two decades, but didn’t say why she had chosen it.

“This is not news. I’ve consistently used purple in election materials for over 20 years,” she said.

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Originally published as Labor minister Tanya Plibersek’s purple flyer in Sydney’s inner west