DEAR News Of The Area,

I WAS horrified to learn that political parties have potentially used trickery to dupe vulnerable voters into revealing their personal details for ‘mining’, data collection and forwarding of political bulletins henceforth, without their express permission.

Some current postal vote applications have been positioned to the public by political parties, have a return address of parliament itself, and not directly to the Australian Electoral Commission, as is standard practice.

People using this facility may believe in good faith that correct protocol is being followed, because routinely, postal vote applications are returned to the Australian Electoral Commission.

Instead they are being returned to Parliament itself to be used for the above purposes.

When asked about this situation the AEC’s Electoral Commissioner Tom Rogers said that “it’s legal but is potentially misleading and we’re concerned”.

It is a misleading practice that manipulates people’s trust and reliance on protocol, and is a technique commonly relied on by advertisers, but not adopted by political parties until this election.

I am left wondering if this practice is in fact a breach of privacy laws that are intended to protect us as citizens with privacy rights, so that our personal details are safeguarded from being revealed to third parties, for misuse.

I will be forwarding this question to a lawyer for a reply.

As Parliament is our highest office of the law, such behaviour to me is also unethical and reflects badly on their credibility and ‘trustworthiness’, if they are prepared to put their own self serving needs above the public’s greater good in order for opportunistic gain.

If you are sending in a postal vote application, the  best practice would be to contact the AEC directly at https://www.aec.gov.au/election/pva.htm.

I once met a woman who had worked in an administration role for a political party in Canberra, and described politics as a “filthy business”.

This example supports her lived experience in my opinion.

I am shocked at the deceit of this act.

The average law abiding citizen should be equally as horrified and shocked as I am.

We need to vote for politicians with integrity who want to clean up this filthy culture, for the benefit of the public good.

Caz Heise, Cowper’s Independent candidate, specifically aims to bring back transparency and accountability to politics.

Bending laws is no longer acceptable practice from lawmakers.

People need to know that this Cowper electorate is a swinging seat now, with candidates going neck and neck.

Every vote counts and is therefore critical.

Your single vote carries enormous power for May 21, and needs careful consideration, as it can create the differences you want for your area, yourselves and your families.

This is your chance to exert power through your vote, and to create change for the better.

Regards,
Karen,
Nambucca Heads.