Latest news with #JeffPope
Epoch Times
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Epoch Times
Australian Federal Police Launch Probes Into 10 Election-Linked Offences
It wasn't just politicians clocking long hours during the federal election campaign. Over 600 Australian Federal Police (AFP) officers worked tirelessly between March 28 and May 3 to protect all candidates contesting the 2025 election. According to data from the AFP, this year's election saw 51 crime reports assessed by the Electoral Investigations Coordination Cell (EICC), resulting in 10 formal AFP investigations. So far, four individuals have been charged with state-based election offences, while 28 matters have been finalised. Fifteen criminal complaints were either initiated by other agencies or referred for investigation, with six investigations still active and two cases under ongoing evaluation. 'The AFP is marking the successful conclusion of Operation Australis25, delivering protective security measures for all Parliamentarians and candidates in the 2025 Federal Election, including the mitigation of threats and incident response,' the force said in a statement on 19 May. Complaints And Deployments Managed Nationwide AFP Commander Mark McIntyre said the force dedicated over 43,000 hours to election operations, including protecting senior officeholders, addressing active and potential threats, and probing election-related criminal complaints. 'In partnership with state and territory police, our teams responded to incidents to ensure candidates and Parliamentarians could campaign without fear of violence or intimidation,' he said. Related Stories 5/13/2025 5/7/2025 Officers from the Specialist Protective Command were stationed nationwide to implement intelligence-driven security tailored to local threat assessments. In a separate case, a Ballarat man was charged in April for allegedly sending threatening emails to a federal MP's office on 27 March, just ahead of the campaign period. Spate of Assaults, Vandalism Peaks In Final Week Australian Electoral Commissioner Jeff Pope said the final weeks of campaigning saw a rise in troubling incidents. 'Very vast majority of polling centres and party workers and candidates absolutely doing the right thing,' he told ABC Radio, but noted that certain hotspots in inner Melbourne and Sydney's Wentworth electorate required police involvement. A volunteer for billionaire Clive Palmer's Trumpet of Patriots party was assaulted in Pakenham while distributing how-to-vote cards. Footage posted by online commentator Rukshan Fernando and later shared by Senator Ralph Babet showed a man in a bike helmet appearing to knee and punch the volunteer. In NSW's Hunter region, One Nation campaign signage was destroyed, prompting party leader, Senator Pauline Hanson, to share video evidence online. Meanwhile, Greens candidates also reported vandalism. Posters of Senator Mehreen Faruqi and Grayndler candidate Hannah Thomas were defaced with swastikas in Sydney suburbs Erskineville and Stanmore. 'Incredibly disappointed by some of that behaviour, and we'll continue to call the police and we'll continue to pull whatever levers we possibly can to try and make this the best voting experience for the voter,' Pope said.
Epoch Times
03-05-2025
- Politics
- Epoch Times
Assaults, Swastikas: AEC Chief Says Ugly Incidents Concentrated in a Few Key Election Seats
The final stretch of the federal election campaign has been marred by a string of ugly incidents forcing Australian Electoral Commissioner (AEC) Jeff Pope to speak publicly on the matter. 'Very vast majority of polling centres and party workers and candidates absolutely doing the right thing,' he told ABC Radio. He said these events are concentrated in particular seats and voting centres, where organisers have had 'to call police.' Pope revealed inner city Melbourne and Sydney's easternmost electorate of Wentworth were hotspots. Recently footage emerged showing a volunteer for Clive Palmer's Trumpet of Patriots party being assaulted in the south-eastern suburb of Pakenham. Footage posted by online commentator Rukshan Fernando and later shared by Senator Ralph Babet showed a man wearing a bicycle helmet approaching the volunteer and appearing to knee and punch him while he was handing out how-to-vote cards. This followed an earlier incident in the Hunter region, NSW, where campaign signs for One Nation were cut and torn apart. Senator Pauline Hanson shared footage of the incident online. In parallel, the Greens have also reported a wave of attacks on their election material. Posters of Senator Mehreen Faruqi and Grayndler candidate Hannah Thomas were defaced with swastikas in the inner-west Sydney suburbs of Erskineville and Stanmore. 'Incredibly disappointed by some of that behaviour, and we'll continue to call the police and we'll continue to pull whatever levers we possibly can to try and make this the best voting experience for the voter,' Pope said. Election Integrity Under Close Watch Pope also addressed concerns around misinformation and artificial intelligence ahead of the poll. While there were no alarming developments, he acknowledged some activity. 'There's certainly been some chatter around bots being used to spread misinformation—bots have been around longer than artificial intelligence,' he added. Pope also spoke about foreign delegations visiting Australia to observe its election practices and learn. 'We actually have a number of people from Pacific islands here … we've got about 20 countries represented from the Pacific region,' he said. 'They are coming here because Australia's elections are one of the best in the world, and we're very, very proud to show them how our elections [are] delivered.' Over 7 Million Have Cast Their Ballot Early voting numbers have hit record highs, with 7.4 million Australians having already cast their votes. Of these, 5.6 million have voted at early polling centres, 1.5 million postal votes have been returned, and over 42,000 overseas ballots received. 'We've serviced about 830,000 people just yesterday,' Pope said. He warned citizens to expect queues in the final two days. 'The headline is, you know, there's nearly 10 million people to still vote today and tomorrow.' Compared to the 2022 election, early voting is up by 22 percent as well. The sharpest increase has been recorded in Western Australia, which Pope linked to long queues experienced during the March state election. 'It's up in pretty much every capital city, particularly, but not so in the Northern Territory, which is interesting,' he noted. When asked why people are choosing to vote early, Pope said it was the eligibility process that was taking up time, as well as promotion for early voting. The AEC has made some adjustments to meet the growing demand but staffing, remains tight. 'We have had a modest increase to our early voting centres for this election. I think we're up around about 580, which is only about 40 more than what it was in 2022,' Pope said.
The Age
02-05-2025
- Politics
- The Age
‘All polling booths will get a visit': NSW Police push for calm on election day
NSW Police will visit polling booths across the state on Saturday in a bid to ensure tensions do not boil over after threatening and aggressive behaviour at early voting centres prompted the electoral commission to warn that bad behaviour would not be tolerated. The confirmation of police patrols at polling booths follows a bombardment of complaints about poor behaviour from campaign volunteers, especially in marginal seats where stakes are highest. In one example in Bennelong, the northern Sydney electorate that is one of the most marginal seats in the country, a man was last week charged with intimidation after he allegedly kicked corflutes and became aggressive towards three volunteers working at the Macquarie Park booth. Campaigners across the political divide have reported aggression at voting locations as a record number of Australians cast their ballot early this year, with more than 5 million people having voted as of close of business Thursday. A spokesperson for NSW Police said: 'All polling booths across NSW will get a visit from police at some stage tomorrow to ensure there are no breaches of the peace.' The spokesperson said a police presence at polling centres occurred during federal, state and local government elections, though long-term political observers who have worked on many campaigns said they could not recall seeing police at a polling booth. Acting Australian electoral commissioner Jeff Pope said on Friday that there had been 'isolated incidents' of bad behaviour at voting booths during the pre-polling period. 'We're all seeing isolated incidents, some concentrated in particular seats, some concentrated … [at] particular voting centres, where we have to call police, and we are incredibly disappointed by some of that behaviour, and we will continue to call the police,' Pope told Radio National Breakfast.
Sydney Morning Herald
02-05-2025
- Politics
- Sydney Morning Herald
‘All polling booths will get a visit': NSW Police push for calm on election day
NSW Police will visit polling booths across the state on Saturday in a bid to ensure tensions do not boil over after threatening and aggressive behaviour at early voting centres prompted the electoral commission to warn that bad behaviour would not be tolerated. The confirmation of police patrols at polling booths follows a bombardment of complaints about poor behaviour from campaign volunteers, especially in marginal seats where stakes are highest. In one example in Bennelong, the northern Sydney electorate that is one of the most marginal seats in the country, a man was last week charged with intimidation after he allegedly kicked corflutes and became aggressive towards three volunteers working at the Macquarie Park booth. Campaigners across the political divide have reported aggression at voting locations as a record number of Australians cast their ballot early this year, with more than 5 million people having voted as of close of business Thursday. A spokesperson for NSW Police said: 'All polling booths across NSW will get a visit from police at some stage tomorrow to ensure there are no breaches of the peace.' The spokesperson said a police presence at polling centres occurred during federal, state and local government elections, though long-term political observers who have worked on many campaigns said they could not recall seeing police at a polling booth. Acting Australian electoral commissioner Jeff Pope said on Friday that there had been 'isolated incidents' of bad behaviour at voting booths during the pre-polling period. 'We're all seeing isolated incidents, some concentrated in particular seats, some concentrated … [at] particular voting centres, where we have to call police, and we are incredibly disappointed by some of that behaviour, and we will continue to call the police,' Pope told Radio National Breakfast.
The Guardian
01-05-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
NSW reports of alleged election-related violence and harassment include smearing poo on truck with Liberal ad
New South Wales police have launched multiple investigations in the last week into alleged violence, intimidation, harassment and antisocial behaviour related to the election, including the smearing of poo across a truck carrying an ad for the Liberal party. Political parties have also reported arson threats against campaign offices and alleged attempts to intimidate diaspora communities into voting for their candidate by referencing historical figures linked in crimes against humanity in Afghanistan. The misconduct and alleged criminal behaviour has led the electoral commissioner, Jeff Pope, to condemn 'isolated instances of aggression, intimidation and potential violence near prepoll venues [that] are not in keeping with Australian democratic values'. Sign up for the Afternoon Update: Election 2025 email newsletter In the NSW electorate of Eden-Monaro, a Liberal party volunteer was horrified to find a truck with a campaign ad attacking Labor's policy on vehicle emission standards smeared with poo, including on door handles. A NSW Police spokesperson confirmed it has launched an investigation into the alleged 'intentional damage'. A Coalition office in Eden-Monaro received a hand-written letter on Sunday warning: 'If this office opens again it will be burnt to the ground!!!! Fuck you'. A Liberal party spokesperson said local staff were urged to take the matter seriously. Police confirmed it is now being investigated. In the ultra-marginal seat of Bennelong in Sydney, a video seen by Guardian Australia shows a man kicking, throwing and removing Liberal signs for its candidate, Scott Yung. The man is also filmed screaming abuse at Liberal volunteers before pointing a finger at one and pursuing him. A NSW police spokesperson confirmed a 30-year-old man was arrested on Wednesday afternoon, hours after the incident. He was subsequently charged with intimidation and granted conditional bail. In the Hunter region seat of Paterson, a Labor-held marginal, the Liberals have alleged a man shoulder-charged one of its volunteers at a polling station. The incident occurred on Monday afternoon. A police spokesperson confirmed an investigation has been launched into the alleged assault. The Liberal candidate in the seat of Grayndler, held by Anthony Albanese, has had his campaign corflutes spray-painted with swastikas. Earlier this month, Greens corflutes were also defaced with swastikas. A video uploaded to Facebook on Thursday afternoon showed a Trumpet of Patriots volunteer being kicked and punched by a man wearing a bike helmet. The man's identity is not known, but the video shows him raising frustrations about the party's ads and its immigration policies. On Thursday a Greens volunteer in the seat of Kooyong, Eliza, told Guardian Australia a Liberal volunteer forcefully grabbed her arm during a disagreement about where to place campaign signs. Labor has also referred its own allegations of wrongdoing to authorities for investigation. The party has raised concerns about the alleged 'disturbing and intimidatory behaviour' of Liberal volunteers in the Victorian seat of Bruce. Sign up to Afternoon Update: Election 2025 Our Australian afternoon update breaks down the key election campaign stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion A letter sent to the commission on Thursday alleges one Liberal volunteer referenced the name of the former emir of Afghanistan Abdur Rahman Khan in exchanges with Pashtun and Hazara Australian voters. Bruce has one of the largest Afghan diasporas in Australia. Labor alleges the volunteer told people that a vote for anyone other than the Liberals would betray Khan, and called for him to be 'brought back'. Khan is linked to the Hazara genocide in the late 1800s. 'I am concerned that the reason Liberal volunteers are invoking Abdur Rahman Khan's name is to harass and intimidate members of the local Hazara community,' said the letter to the commission from Jett Fogarty, an Australian Labor party official. Pope said that campaign activities are a very important part of the federal election process, but 'lawful activities are a must, and respectful behaviour is a firm expectation'. 'The AEC is not a police force and does not have jurisdiction to undertake conflict resolution or get in the middle of a dispute outside our polling places,' Pope said. 'However, we do have close relationships with local police forces around the country who are closely monitoring activities. 'In some areas, the AEC has written to candidates and branches of registered political parties to alert them to the reports being received and to remind everyone of the right for voters to have a comfortable voting experience.'
