Michael Ronaldson (Victoria, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Veterans' Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

Yes. I will, thank you very much. I will just finish this quote:

“It’s often very difficult to discern who is a partisan actor and who is a non-partisan observer,” he said.

“It’s very easy to write what you like online, the checks are quite limited.

Madam Acting Deputy President, I am not making any allegations in relation to where this may, or may not, have come from. But I would express the disappointment of the people of Colac. The editorial of the Colac Herald quite rightly raised this matter, and expressed concern about it as well. All I seek to say in relation to this is that—and I have the editorial here—it said:

… underhand tactics are unwelcome. Political operatives are posing as regular voters to stir up public opinion in the hope of gaining votes, but they should have been open and honest with their campaigning. Voters have a right to know when politicians are campaigning. They must identify themselves in the media and in advertisements. This should extend to online comments.

I only seek to bring that matter to the attention of the chamber because it has obviously caused a great deal of concern at the Colac Heraldand quite rightly so—and it has obviously concerned a number of Colac residents.

That brings me to the point about what has happened to Colac Area Health. There is just no point to Minister Plibersek complaining—