Two people facing electoral fraud charges should not be “used as ammunition for political gain by any party”, according to the head of a group that campaigned for independent Cathy McGowan in the Victorian seat of Indi before the 2013 federal election.
The Australian federal police (AFP) confirmed that it had prepared briefs of evidence against four individuals “for providing false or misleading information” to the Australian Electoral Commission “contrary to section 137.1 of the criminal code 1995”.
An AFP spokesperson said the commonwealth director of public prosecutions had “advised that there is sufficient evidence to proceed with two of these matters, and these matters are now before the court”.
Court records show Maggie Ellen McGowan and Sophie Petrea Fuchsen are due to appear in the Melbourne magistrates court on 18 December, following an initial appearance on 17 September.
Both are believed to have been supporters of Cathy McGowan, who was elected after defeating the Liberal MP Sophie Mirabella by 439 votes.
It is understood the AFP originally questioned about 27 people about the legitimacy of their enrolment to vote in Indi. The Australian, which ran several stories about the issue, said the newspaper had provided details of “more than 20 suspicious cases” to the AEC, which subsequently launched an investigation.
Mirabella, who will seek to win the seat back from McGowan at the next election, told the Border Mail that people felt “disappointed and angry that their democracy has been manipulated”.
In an interview with the Australian, Mirabella focused on allegations that one of McGowan’s supporters had boasted on Twitter of switching her enrolment to Indi despite admitting she lived in Melbourne. Mirabella alleged that McGowan had “publicly complimented her for this act”.
“The foundation for integrity in our system of voting is the electoral roll,” Mirabella told the newspaper.
“We have to ensure the AEC is rigorous in its cleansing of the roll.”
Alana Johnson, the president of the Voice for Indi group that supported McGowan’s campaign, urged caution in public comments about the case.
“Voice for Indi were really pleased to see so many young people enthusiastically wanting to be re-engaged in the political process and we’ve become aware how unclear the AEC guidelines are, particularly for young rural kids who may be travelling or attending university, about where they call home and where they should vote,” Johnson said.
“We look forward to that being clarified because we want young people, regardless of who they vote for, to feel confident to be involved in voting and campaigning.
“We don’t want to see these two young people being used as ammunition for political gain by any party.”
Comment was sought from McGowan.
