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

I move:

That the Senate take note of the document.

I want to bring to the chamber's attention an item that was in the Colac Herald yesterday. It alluded to the fact—I will read the press report, which said:

Political operatives are secretly campaigning for the federal seat of Corangamite online, posting political messages under fake names.

An internet user or users from Parliament House Canberra’s computer network has pretended to be at least nine different people while making pro-Labor comments online.

The comments, posted online under Colac Herald stories about Colac … Health cuts, all come from the same internet protocol address, a specific computer server’s code.

The comments all praise Labor Party policies or belittle the Liberal Party but fail to identify the writer’s political links.

The false names included a fake Colac Area Health employee and a fake Barwon Health employee.

Community lobbyist Laura Cook said she would prefer to see political staff working to fix Colac’s hospital crisis rather than “spamming” people.

“I’m [utterly] gobsmacked,” she said.

“What a complete … waste of time and resources.

“They’re best fixing it rather than spamming people—

same article—

Monash University politics lecturer Dr Zareh Ghazarian questioned the ethics of the “cynical” tactic to influence voters before the 2013 federal election.

“This is clearly concerned with trying to change grassroots voting intention,” Dr Ghazarian said.

Claire Moore (Queensland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Ronaldson, I take it you are linking this example to the Members of Parliament (Staff) Act report?

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

Yes, indeed, Madam Acting Deputy President.

Claire Moore (Queensland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Could we actually try and bring the report into the debate?

Michael Ronaldson (Victoria, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Veterans' Affairs) Share this | Link to 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—

Anne McEwen (SA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Madam Acting Deputy President, on a point of order: I fail to see how Senator Ronaldson is at all relevant to the report that he purports to be addressing. I do not think that Colac Area Health has got much to do with the report on the Members of Parliament (Staff) Act 1984.

Claire Moore (Queensland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Senator McEwan. Senator Ronaldson, I will draw your attention—as I did earlier—to the comments you are making in relation to the report on the Members of Parliament (Staff) Act.

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

Thank you very much. Indeed, these comments were posted online from a Parliament House address and they were about the situation in relation to Colac Area Health. You may not be aware, Madam Acting Deputy President, that there has been a slashing of funding by Minister Plibersek which has put the Colac hospital and Colac Area Health under enormous pressure.

Claire Moore (Queensland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator, you have 18 seconds remaining to link it to the report.

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

Thank you. I will take the interjection. I can assure you, Senator, that the people of Colac view appropriate delivery of health as very, very relevant and I can assure you that they are extraordinarily unhappy about the reduction in funding by Minister Plibersek, which has put health care— (Time expired)

Claire Moore (Queensland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am checking to see whether you seek leave to continue your remarks later.

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

I seek leave to continue my remarks later.

Leave granted; debate adjourned.