Thursday, 12 September 2024

Victorian Electoral Commission

Nick McGOWAN (North-Eastern Metropolitan) (18:57): (1161) I think I addressed my concerns initially during my maiden speech in this place in respect to the Victorian Electoral Commission (VEC). It has been an observation of mine over some time, perhaps even decades, that the public in this state have year after year lost confidence in the performance of the Victorian Electoral Commission. We only need to look back to the last election to know that that was on full display. Not in my lifetime can I recall the electoral commission running out of ballots and actually having to administer blank bits of paper.

Harriet Shing: That’s how much they didn’t want you in Parliament.

Nick McGOWAN: Well, that’s how much they just didn’t want to do their job. I mean, I do not know what they were smoking at that polling booth, but I tell you what, it did affect their performance. I suppose, as much as I poke fun at them, it is actually very serious, because if the reputation of the VEC, which I would argue is in tatters, continues to decline, then at some point people will start to question our own democracy, and I do not want that. I want them to be the impartial conveyors of elections.

There is an example that has come to my attention, and it is timely because we are about to have council elections, as we all know. Back in the 2020 election in the municipality of Banyule in my area of North-Eastern Metropolitan Region there was a former Labor member by the name of Craig Langdon. I am sure some in this place remember that name all too well; perhaps you remember that name too, Minister, and President, for that matter. You have all been around long enough. Well, very sadly, Jenny Mulholland OAM and her son David Mulholland were defamed, and they received, rightly, damages and costs due to Mr Langdon’s malicious actions – that is the only way to put it.

But that is not the end of the story. The story is actually the failure of the VEC in the first instance to actually intervene, as was asked for by the Mulhollands at the time. The VEC’s complete failure to do this meant that the Mulhollands, like very many people in Victoria and very many who may contest elections in the days and weeks to come, may find themselves at the pointy end of the VEC, which just simply fails to act. I certainly do not want anyone to be in that position, because when it is your name and your reputation on the line, these are people’s lives we are dealing with. I would like to ask the Premier to investigate their particular case – because there is a County Court record of this. It went all the way to court, and it cost them an enormous amount of time, stress, energy and effort. No-one should be put through that. I do not want to see anyone who stands for any party have to go through what the Mulhollands went through, and I would appreciate the Premier investigating that case to ensure that the VEC performed its duties adequately.