THE GREAT POLITICAL COVER-UP
KINGBOROUGH Council has confiscated election signs after it was found that political parties erecting them at Franklin were in breach of the council’s planning scheme.
Both the Labor and Liberal parties have been forced to cover the signs promoting candidates in heavy black plastic because of a clause in the planning scheme that stipulates a specific time frame for displaying election placards.
Under Kingborough’s plan- ning scheme an election sign must be “displayed only between the issuing of a writ for an election and seven days after the election”.
Despite the date of the State Election being called by Liberal Leader Will Hodgman for March 3, the writs will be issued on Monday.
Kingborough general manager Gary Arnold told the Mercury that some election signs had been confiscated by the council for breaching the scheme, with the political parties in the process of covering the remaining ones until Monday.
“Both major parties have commenced covering election signs until the election writ is issued next Monday,” he said.
The scenario has left party heavyweights scratching their heads, saying they cannot remember a similar scenario in an election campaign.
The Tasmanian Electoral Commission states that Kingborough Council may remove any sign that contravenes the conditions and may, in addition to imposing a penalty, recover the costs from the candidate.
Labor began covering up its signs on Tuesday but the Liberals’ signs — including those for Premier Will Hodgman — were still visible late yesterday.
Liberal state director Sam McQuestin said that was because the party was only notified about it on Wednesday night.
“Frankly it’s disappointing,” he said.
“There’s an election on and signs always go up during elections. This is the only council in Tasmania that seems to be concerned about this issue.”
He said Launceston’s scheme allowed for signs to go up eight weeks before the election.
The Greens have not put up any signs in the Kingborough area and have previously said financial realities will limit their advertising presence.
The major parties are expected to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on TV, radio, newspaper, billboard and social media advertising in the lead-up to the election.