GetUp's gall
Electoral matters matter a great deal and GetUp’s form is frankly stunning – so what action must be taken? By Tim James.
While the eyes of the world were focused on US election results and issues late last year, a major report into Australia’s electoral system was handed down. There is little more important to any democracy than the integrity of its electoral system, and this timely report more than merits both attention and action in Australia.
The December 2020 report on the conduct of the 2019 federal election and matters related thereto by the Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters makes 27 recommendations across more than 200 pages (including predictable dissenting reports from Labor and the Greens) having received over 170 submissions.
Across many areas of our electoral system the committee has made sound reform recommendations worthy of greater attention and indeed action. The focus of this article is the committee’s deliberations and decisions on political campaigners, ie third parties engaged in the electoral process, that “play an ever increasing role in political discourse” according to the Committee. GetUp comes in for particular focus here for reasons outlined below.
As is well known, GetUp tells the world it is an independent movement of over one million members driven towards (among other agendas) “democratic integrity”. It recently invited applications for a GetUp board position and stipulated key attributes including acting with integrity, ethically and independently.
The committee’s hearings and report make it abundantly clear that these are hollow words meaning little if anything given the practices of GetUp.
In brief, the report finds that:
GetUp made multiple false claims to the committee as to the AEC finding of its “independence”, it being “100% issues based” and being “non-partisan” (and this is not the first time it has done so);
The AEC could not have more clearly stated on oath that it could not, would not and did not make such findings;
GetUp’s Legal Counsel and National Director both refused to correct the record despite being presented clear evidence of its misleading submission;
GetUp effectively later admitted to misleading in its evidence yet its submission remained misleading.
Credit particularly must go to Tasmanian Senator Eric Abetz who calmly, methodically and thoroughly dealt with GetUp’s misleading submission and subsequent statements. He was right to declare to the Senate that GetUp “unabashedly practises deceit” and is “peddling dishonesty”.
Indeed, the committee itself reported that GetUp’s approach to its inquiry was “tricky and misleading”. The committee rightly called out GetUp’s hypocrisy: “for an organisation who campaigns on openness, honesty and accountability it is the JSCEM’s view that GetUp’s appearances before it are anything but open and honest”.
The committee report also gave due focus to “ugly and unacceptable” behaviour by activists trained by or connected to GetUp in “bird-dogging” ie pursuing opposing candidates to badger them, even to the point of harassment.
GetUp claims to campaign on human rights and says everyone ought to be “treated with fairness and compassion”. Except if you’re an opposing candidate in a seat targeted by GetUp. Just ask Nicolle Flint MP who has told of “feeling unsafe” upon being “stalked” by GetUp, the boss of which refuses to rule out future such “bird-dogging”.
The committee’s recommendation of a new offence of electoral violence to address behaviour such as stalking or intimidating must be met before the next election as activists don’t and won’t change unless forced to do so.
The dissenting reports of Labor and the Greens cannot be said to have dispensed with the deep issues and concerns raised to and by the committee. They are largely predictable, lazy and politically motivated reports that seek to preserve, in the above key areas, the status quo.
Our democracy deserves better, indeed the very best of laws, practices and processes to uphold integrity. Australians have been reminded recently of the many positives of our electoral system compared to others around the world. We can and must still improve the integrity of our system and all democratic participants, particularly those such as GetUp who clearly treat the current system with contempt and must be held to due standards and requirements.
There’s too much at stake to back the status quo. Bring on reform in response to this substantial report, and soon.