Victoria’s volunteer fire brigade has said it was not behind robocalls made to the marginal electorate of Indi urging people to vote for Liberal candidate Sophie Mirabella and to preference Labor last.
The Country Fire Authority (CFA) is embroiled in a complicated dispute with the Victorian Labor government and the United Firefighters Union over a proposed new enterprise bargaining agreement. CFA volunteers argue the agreement gives too much power to the union, and have refused to sign up to it.
Wangaratta resident Anne Shaw, who is in the electorate of Indi, said she was angered to receive a robocall from a CFA volunteer called “Bob” who told her how to vote two days before polling day.
“Everyone I’ve spoken to received one of these calls, it was quite widespread,” she said.
“It sounded like a real person, they introduced themselves as Bob and said: ‘I’m a CFA volunteer. If you want to save the CFA, the only person who can is Sophie Mirabella.’
“I thought it was completely inappropriate. I really wasn’t impressed that a state issue was being politicised federally, but a lot of people would have been convinced by the call.”
Shaw, a volunteer for Independent Indi MP Cathy McGowan, said she and others had made a complaint to the Australian Electoral Commission about the automated calls. Other people tweeted that they had also received the messages. Guardian Australia has contacted the Australian Electoral Commission for comment.
I have audio of "CFA" robocall from an answering machine. Didn't think it was CFA. Who authorised it? #corangamite https://t.co/qSW9inPKIE
— Get Shortened (@Get_Shortened) July 4, 2016
McGowan retained the seat of Indi in the election, with Mirabella coming second with 27.2% of the primary vote. Labor’s Eric Kerr came in fourth with 9.7% of the primary vote, behind the Nationals’ Marty Corboy.
Although a state government issue, the debate featured in the federal election campaign, with the prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull, visiting key marginal seats in fire-prone electorates where CFA volunteers are relied upon. He promised the Liberal party would protect the volunteers.
However, political analysts have said the CFA dispute probably had a minimal impact on how Labor fared in Victoria in the federal election.
A CFA spokeswoman told Guardian Australia she understood the Australian Electoral Commission was investigating the calls, adding that the CFA had nothing to do with them.
“The CFA is an apolitical organisation just like all public sector organisations, so we have no involvement in political campaigns,” the spokeswoman said.
Mirabella and her campaign spokesman have been contacted for comment.
In his post-election speech on Sunday, Turnbull, criticised automated text messages warning voters that Medicare would be privatised by a Coalition government, saying he would refer the matter to police. The Australian federal police have since confirmed they are investigating the texts, which did not come from Medicare.
