Push for review into shambolic Werribee byelection count

The state Labor and Liberal parties will push for a review into the Victorian Electoral Commission’s conduct of the Werribee byelection after confusion over ballots, delayed counting and a collapsed roof contributed to a shambolic tally night.

The Werribee count, described as disastrous and a “complete dog’s breakfast” by senior officials from both major parties, started half an hour late at some counting places, finished close to 1am, and produced a painstakingly slow release of results.

A voting centre for the seat of Werribee at Manor Lakes Primary School in Wyndham Vale on Saturday.Credit: Luis Ascui

It came after the VEC ordered one of its own election officials to leave a polling place earlier in the day after the official was reportedly heard telling people to vote Liberal.

“The VEC takes electoral integrity very seriously, and we do not tolerate behaviour that risks the neutrality of our workforce,” a VEC spokesperson said.

“We were alerted to reports that an election official was overheard making inappropriate comments that breached the VEC’s requirements for staff to act with integrity and impartiality.

“We immediately raised it with the person and directed them to leave their position and play no further role in the election. The person left the site by 12.30pm on election day.”

All VEC employees are required to disclose any political activities and affiliations as a condition of employment.

A parliamentary inquiry into the conduct of elections is not unusual, and Premier Jacinta Allan said the Werribee byelection would be subject to an appropriate review.

“I will leave it to that process for any advice on what improvements can be made,” she said.

Within her party, there is acute frustration at the way election night unfolded at the Werribee early vote counting centre. The last returned votes were counted at 12.45am.

A Labor Party source involved in the count but not authorised to comment on it said the most significant delay had been caused by pre-poll ballots from one polling place being mistaken for those lodged in another. This caused voting to abruptly stop just after 7pm and start again.

Later in the evening, a leak from an air-conditioner in the counting room caused a portion of the ceiling to collapse onto the floor. No one was injured, and an area was cordoned off around the soggy pieces of fallen plasterboard.

A senior Liberal figure expressed concern that at 6pm, the time at which counting was supposed to start, the VEC had closed some counting centres so staff could take a half-hour meal break. During the break, party scrutineers were locked out of the counting rooms.

The VEC did not count any votes on Sunday, which is consistent with its established practice. A VEC spokesperson confirmed this would have no impact on the timing of a result because all votes received by the VEC had already been counted.

The result will be decided by postal votes not yet returned.

“By 12.45am on the morning of Sunday, 9 February, the VEC had counted all votes cast on election day, all early votes, and all postal votes received so far,” the spokesperson said. “There are no further votes to admit to the count until further postal votes arrive through the post during the week.”

Allan, when asked whether the VEC should work the Sunday after a byelection, made clear her preference for the count to speed up.

“We all have a keenness to understand the result but the VEC are an independent agency and I will leave it to them,” she said.

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