The integrity of three candidates for the by-election in Whittlesea’s Lalor Ward has been called into question following the release of how-to-vote materials.
Candidates Rex Nicholson, Victoria Edge and Mary Krassos released how-to-vote cards bearing the same postal address in their pamphlets’ authorisation details.
The PO Box is the same address listed on election material for Labor candidate Stevan Kozmevski and was used by at least four other Labor candidates during last October’s Whittlesea council election.
Election pamphlets, how-to-vote cards and the candidate statements provided to the Victorian Electoral Commission (VEC) by Mr Nicholson, Ms Edge and Ms Krassos make no mention of their affiliation with the Labor Party.
Ms Edge’s how-to-vote card states that she is a “community independent”.
Mr Nicholson and Ms Edge did not respond to questions from Star Weekly. Ms Krassos cannot be contacted. She did not provide contact information to the VEC when nominating for the by-election.
The Victorian Labor Party also did not respond to questions from Star Weekly regarding its involvement in the campaigns for Mr Nicholson, Ms Edge and Ms Krassos, including whether it was providing financial support.
Lalor votes are being asked to re-elect a councillor after the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal voided the result of the October 2024 election in Lalor Ward following a vote tampering scheme which sought to benefit third-place candidate Nicholas Hajichristou.
By-election candidate Samu Uprety said the materials released by Mr Nicholson, Ms Edge and Ms Krassos raised questions about their integrity.
“If candidates aren’t upfront about who they’re really representing, it raises serious questions about their integrity and whether they’re truly working for the community – or just following their own or their party’s agenda,” she said.
“I think it’s really disappointing to see people claiming to be independent when they’re clearly linked to a political party.
“Voters deserve honesty and transparency, especially during an election.
“It’s also totally unfair to candidates like myself, who have no support and are actually independent.”
Ellen McNaught, who is contesting the by-election after finishing second in the October 2024 count, said voters deserved to know who they’re really voting for,
“Given the fraud that caused this by-election, transparency is more important than ever,” she said.
“When candidates hide their party connections or network affiliations, it undermines people’s ability to make an informed choice and make their vote count in the way they want.”
She said candidates who were “genuine independents” were being disadvantaged by other candidates not declaring their political affiliations.
Victorian Socialists candidate Omar Hassan said he felt transparency in council elections was a real issue.
He accused Labor of running four candidates in an attempt to “rig the system”.
“The voters of Lalor deserve councillors who are honest and transparent” he said.
Northern Metropolitan Liberal MP Evan Mulholland, whose electorate takes in Whittlesea, accused Labor of trying to deceive voters and manipulate the election outcome.
“Labor are so desperate to keep this seat on council that they are fielding fake independent candidates to try and deceive the voters of Whittlesea,” he said.
Election materials for local government elections are regulated by the Local Government Inspectorate (LGI).
Star Weekly contacted the LGI for comment.
