The Victorian Liberal party has been accused of “sickening” fundraising tactics after it invoked the threat of terrorism and the Abbott government’s proposed citizenship laws in an email seeking political donations.
The email – which accused Labor of “playing politics with our national security” – contained a photo of Tony Abbott and a quote declaring that terrorists who are dual nationals will have their citizenship stripped.
The Victorian Liberal party urged supporters to “Donate now to support a SAFER Australia”. The email – authorised by state director Simon Frost – said the fundamental job of government was “to keep its citizens safe”.
“Labor and the left are playing politics with our national security, weakening our borders and are a soft touch on home grown terrorists,” the email said.
The Victorian Liberal party email to supporters asking for donations "to support a SAFER Australia" pic.twitter.com/YxhFgooCsG
— Daniel Hurst (@danielhurstbne) June 24, 2015
“With a federal election due next year donations are critical to allow the Abbott government to continue on with the job of keeping Australia safe.
“Remember it is tax time, donations up to $1,500 may be tax deductible. Your contribution is vital to ensure the Liberal party has the resources to keep fighting on the issues that matter to you.”
A spokesman for Abbott said the prime minister would not have allowed the email to be sent if he had been consulted.
“The prime minister and his office had no knowledge of the email sent by the Victorian state division of the Liberal party,” the spokesman said. “If the prime minister had been aware, he would have stopped it.”
A spokesman for the federal opposition said the Liberal party should not use national security to raise money.
“The fact that the Liberal party is using the increased terror alert to fundraise is sickening,” he said.
The Liberal party’s Victorian division issued a statement admitting it should not have connected the donation request to the government’s current anti-terrorism legislation.
“This was wrong,” it said. “The State Division should not have made a link between this important legislation and a request for donations. Neither the Prime Minister, nor the PM’s office or the Federal Liberal Party was aware of the email or donation request.”
The controversy follows the government’s decision to push ahead with laws stripping Australian citizenship from dual nationals who travel overseas to fight for Islamic State and other declared terrorist groups.
The bill was introduced to the House of Representatives on Wednesday but will not be voted on until after the winter parliamentary recess and a committee inquiry.
Labor expressed its in-principle support for modernising citizenship laws to take account of the rise of Isis, but previously accused the government of a “dog’s breakfast” process characterised by cabinet divisions.
University of NSW law professor George Williams said on Wednesday he believed the government had “cast the net far too wide” in its new laws, highlighting that damaging or destroying commonwealth property was one of the offences for which citizenship could be revoked.
