Cessnock Council, which is primarily composed of members from the Labor Party, has been accused of exhibiting political bias by targeting election signs belonging to political rivals. One Nation candidate, Quintin King, expressed his frustration on Facebook after his signs were covered with notices from the council stating their intent to remove them.
King claimed that some of the Labor Party’s actions during the election campaign were petty, and he alleged that the council had singled out his signs even though they had permission from property owners to be placed within 100mm of a fence. He also claimed that some of his signs had been stolen, while the council had not taken any action against the Labor Party’s signs.
The Nationals candidate, Ash Barnham, also accused the council of bias and described them as an “absolutely disgraceful council.” Barnham stated that his election signs had also been targeted, even though they were bolted to a farmer’s fence post, which was not public land. He claimed that the council had not targeted any signs belonging to the Labor Party, and he questioned why this was the case.
As the election campaign continues, it remains to be seen how these allegations will be resolved and whether the council will be able to demonstrate that they have acted impartially.