Sacked electoral worker annoyed at ‘petty actions’ of senator
AN Australian Electoral Commission staff member who was sacked on Thursday after Senator Sarah Henderson reported him for photobombing Corangamite Labor MP Libby Coker says the incident was a “massive over-reaction” on the part of Senator Henderson and the AEC.
Greg Whitfield told News Corp he was “not political whatsoever”, and had been joking around with campaigners and candidates from both major parties during his week helping to supervise pre-poll voting in the hotly contested marginal seat, which takes in the Bellarine Peninsula, the southern and western fringes of Geelong, and parts of the Surf Coast.
The hospitality small business owner said he had taken up the temporary $29/hour role with the AEC “for something different, a community service and a bit of social interaction” and hired staff to cover his absence.
“I actually had to remind myself when this all blew up which side Libby Coker and Stephanie Asher were on,” Mr Whitfield said, describing the scene on Tuesday which saw him photographed in his AEC vest making a peace sign behind Ms Coker and fellow Labor MP Julian Hill.
“There was lots of general banter. It was a very cordial situation. There was a Labor guy talking to a Liberal girl. I was cracking jokes with Sarah, (Liberal candidate) Stephanie (Asher) and Libby.
“Things got a bit quieter in the afternoon, and Libby and another guy (Mr Hill), I didn’t know who he was, said, ‘let’s get a selfie’.
“I stuck my hand out without thinking. I do that in my business all the time when people take photos of themselves with food.
“Looking back at it now, if I had my time over I wouldn’t have done it, but it was just one of those spurof-the-moment things.
“If Stephanie Asher had’ve been standing next to me I would have done exactly the same.”
Senator Henderson said on Thursday that it was Ms Coker’s “stunt” that had “cost this person his job”.
Mr Whitfield said he saw it differently.
“I don’t blame Libby at all. I personally feel it’s Sarah trying to score votes or something like that,” he said.
“I am now very annoyed at the petty actions of Sarah, who I’ve actually met a few times previously in a business capacity and always got on quite well with.”
He said he also believed the AEC had “massively overreacted”.
“It was a silly thing to do in hindsight and I expected to get told off, but I didn’t expect to lose my job,” Mr Whitfield said.