ELECTORAL OFFENCES (Both Houses)

Winning Office by False Statement

Immediately prior to the July 2016 federal election an opposing political party openly and falsely stated that the Coalition had planned to privatize Medicare. It is believed that this statement caused many voters to reconsider their voting options; and although the minor parties polled well as a result, the Coalition polled badly, only just forming government.

But although the Prime Minister made noises of bringing in Federal Police with a view to prosecuting the offenders, nothing was done.

Of course, nothing is ever done about the false statements that are propagated by any politician eager to win a seat in the House of Representatives or Senate. And yet, in other walks of life, particularly commerce, a false statement which induces public support (financial or otherwise) is very quickly tagged as fraud and heavy penalties apply. But not so in political life.

Generally, an act of fraud occurs when someone successfully sets out to deceptively gain another's property (cash included) or simply causes someone a financial disadvantage. And a ten (10) year jail sentence is usually imposed.

Then why is it that no politician since Federation has ever been jailed for lying his or her way into political office (i.e. financial gain). And what about the former incumbent who has been disadvantaged financially and is now (in many cases) unemployed?

In short, a candidate who has resorted to the fraudulent practice of making a false statement for personal gain should and would be criminally prosecuted under a Federal Party government. And that also applies to our own Candidates.

Eliminating Fraudulent Voting

Following the July 2016 federal election the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) challenged more than 18,000 people over why they voted multiple times. Many of our aged citizens voted twice by accident and confusion but many others had made it a practice. Some voting up to 11 times.

The practice of seconding our youth to flit from booth to booth racking up multiple votes for a candidate whose political prospects are hanging in the balance, is a practice as old as voting itself. But it gets worse:

Unfortunately, our voting system is wide open to fraud as we have just witnessed. And to reinforce this, votes disappeared and then miraculously reappeared in the electorate of Indi. And 1,375 votes in another federal electorate went walkabout, never to be seen again.

No Candidate of The Federal Party of Australia would ever be left exposed to fraud during the counting of votes. Each polling booth would be attended by a Scrutineer representing that Candidate.

And multiple voting would be eliminated by introducing an electronic roll so that when photographic ID (similar to a Driver Licence) is produced then the voter would be immediately struck off the roll thereby being prevented from voting at any other booth.

The combination of this form of ID in association with an electronic roll will also prevent unscrupulous voters from casting their votes at pre-polling or by way of postal voting and once more (or however many times) on polling day.

It beggars belief that the AEC has allowed these gaping flaws in the electoral system to remain open to fraudulent practices, leaving any reasonable-minded person to wonder just how many of our politicians are holding office which is not rightfully theirs.

A Federal Party government will put an end to the voting farce which has, for over 115 years, undemocratically elected candidates to the House of Representatives and the Senate, and ensure that all politicians in both Houses have been elected democratically!

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