Election 2016: Video shows 'sexist' anti-Greens graffiti inside Liberal senator's campaign bus

Updated

ACT Greens Senate candidate Christina Hobbs has called on Liberal senator Zed Seselja to "seriously assess" his position after video emerged showing defaced Greens flyers inside his campaign bus.

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Two very safe seats

The ACT is divided into two seats; Canberra (ALP 7.5 per cent) and Fraser (ALP 12.5 per cent).

Fraser (now re-named

Canberra has fallen into Liberal hands for just six years out of the last 42. Photo: ACT card deck (Supplied: Australian Electoral Commission)



In the Senate

Given Labor holds both House seats so safely, there is usually more political interest in the contest for the second of the ACT's two Senate seats.

Liberal support has tended to be the same in both chambers, while a proportion of Labor's support always peeled away to vote Democrat or Green in the Senate.

However, the changes to the Senate's electoral system make it much less likely that the Greens can capture enough preferences to pass one of the major parties.

No surprises Labor needs 33.3 per cent of the vote to win one Senate, but an impossible 66.7 per cent to win two seats.

Some Labor voters split their vote between Labor in the House and Green in the Senate in the hope of getting the Greens ahead of Labor's second candidate and beating the Liberals on Labor's surplus preferences.

Unless there is a dramatic decline in Labor or Liberal first preference support, one Liberal and one Labor Senator should be elected.

Where are the ACT's sweeteners?

Despite the history of parties pledging money for projects in marginal seats while campaigning, the ACT gets no special treatment.

Although Canberra wants a new stadium and the much-trumpeted light rail project, no federal cash has been forthcoming.

Political experts believe this is not only because neither ACT seats are marginal but also because The ACT is divided into two seats; Canberra (ALP 7.5 per cent) and Fraser (ALP 12.5 per cent).Fraser (now re-named Fenner ) is slightly stronger for Labor than Canberra and has been in Labor hands since its creation in 1974.Canberra has fallen into Liberal hands for just six years out of the last 42.Given Labor holds both House seats so safely, there is usually more political interest in the contest for the second of the ACT's two Senate seats.Liberal support has tended to be the same in both chambers, while a proportion of Labor's support always peeled away to vote Democrat or Green in the Senate.However, the changes to the Senate's electoral system make it much less likely that the Greens can capture enough preferences to pass one of the major parties.Despite the history of parties pledging money for projects in marginal seats while campaigning, the ACT gets no special treatment.Although Canberra wants a new stadium and the much-trumpeted light rail project, no federal cash has been forthcoming.Political experts believe this is not only because neither ACT seats are marginal but also because politicians do not want to be seen lavishing money on a city associated with wealthy politicians

The video shows Greens leaflets featuring Ms Hobbs and candidate for Fenner Carly Saeedi captioned with suggestive slogans.

The video also shows the bus covered in Liberal Party paraphernalia, and parked outside Senator Seselja's office in Civic.

One of the signs is captioned "I'll give your refugee a loving home", while the other shows Ms Hobbs saying "I need a light railing".

Ms Hobbs labelled the graffiti, which appeared to be taped to the dashboard, "violently sexist".

"[It was] a picture of me, essentially saying 'I want a railing', which is a term talking about violent sex, also associated with rape, so it's quite disturbing actually," she said.

"The footage ... was of a Zed Seselja campaign bus with their imagery all around it, parked outside his office, it is also the same bus we have seen Zed travelling around in.

"It is inconceivable that Zed Seselja has not seen these images and doesn't know about their existence."

Seselja apologises for 'juvenile behaviour of volunteers'

Senator Seselja acknowledged the material had been made by members of his campaign team.

"I condemn this kind of juvenile behaviour, I've said to my volunteers many times, not to respond to the provocation that they've been getting during the campaign," he said.

"We see unfortunately from time to time, stupid behaviour from volunteers and I put that in this camp, certainly I have no time for it.

"I certainly apologise for any offence."

Senator Seselja also pointed to an incident yesterday, when members of various unions, including the CFMEU, allegedly threatened and harassed members of his campaign team and attempted to storm his office.

He said several other incidents also appeared to target his campaign.

"We've had people fined for damaging our signs, we've had people stealing our signs - that kind of behaviour is unacceptable, and responding to it in any way, even in juvenile sort of jokes, is unacceptable as well," he said.

Topics: federal-elections, elections, government-and-politics, canberra-2600, act, australia

First posted