CANDIDATES for this year’s Mornington Peninsula Shire Council elections are facing a huge number of survey requests from local and national organisations, many about issues that are beyond the scope of the role of a councillor.
The ‘insurmountable’ number has left some surveys and questionnaires incomplete, giving the impression the candidate doesn’t have opinions on the issues. Others have vague or misleading questions, some requiring “yes or no” answers that candidates fear could be misleading to the public.
Current Red Hill Ward councillor, and candidate for the newly formed Coolart Ward, David Gill, told The News “This is an issue for all candidates who have decided to serve the community by standing for council”. “There are dozens of questionnaires to candidates flying around, most with a degree of partiality about issues and concerns. “Sometimes a questionnaire doesn’t allow a candidate to express their view properly. This includes having many aspects within one question but requiring a simple yes or no formatted answer. “Many questionnaires are in a survey format that demand an answer to a question before allowing candidates to continue to the next question. Leaving out a misleading question and moving on is not an option.”
Other candidates have faced questions on a range of topics including how they voted in the Voice to Parliament referendum, the questioning of climate change, the provision of public housing, and the banning of waste incinerators. “Some of the issues we are being asked to express a position on are simply not within the purview of local government,” said Gill. “And some of the groups asking about a candidate’s stance on state or federal issues are then the first to say we should be focused on local issues.”
The answers to one survey, put out by a peninsula-based lobby group, were collated and resulted in the recommendation of ten candidates the organisation believed best represented the values of the group. One of the ten recommended candidates is listed as a current committee member on the organisation’s website. The candidate’s membership of the group was not disclosed in the information supplied to The News. That same organisation stated “We want to ensure that our votes make a difference. It’s incredibly disappointing that some candidates did not even respond to our survey.”
“I have refused to answer some surveys due to their partisan nature,” said current Briars Ward representative and candidate, Anthony Marsh. “This is an integrity issue. When answering some of these surveys, a candidate could say whatever appeases those single-issue group and the mainstream voters would never know. “If anything, it has shown the importance of mechanisms such as candidate forums so the voters can get a clear and concise understanding of where candidates stand on issues.”
First-time candidate Paul Pingiaro, contesting Tanti Ward, told The News he believed questionnaires were more problematic for current councillors than candidates. “When they ask you if you are going to bring council back to its core responsibilities, how can you answer ‘yes’ if you haven’t done it in your previous term?” Pingiaro did concede the sheer number of requests had been an issue for his campaign but broadly welcomed the opportunity. “I think people have the right to know in the interest of transparency. It is then up to the candidate to decide if the survey is in the best interest of the community or is malicious in its intent.”
Voting in the 2024 local council elections has begun with ballot packs mailed to all enrolled voters from Monday 7 October. Voters who haven’t received a ballot pack by Tuesday 15 October should go to vec.vic.gov.au to complete an online replacement ballot pack form.
First published in the Mornington News – 8 October 2024
