By Jeremy Sollars
Warwick and Stanthorpe residents have been receiving calls over the last week purportedly from a market research company asking about their voting intentions at the Southern Downs Regional Council election in March 2020 but it remains unclear who has commissioned the polling.
The Free Times has been told scores of residents have been contacted by operatives claiming to be employed by market research firm ReachTEL asking who they would vote for as Mayor at the next election.
Specifically those receiving the calls have been asked if they would support incumbent Mayor Tracy Dobie or one of the existing councillors, being given the option of nominating only one of those councillors as their preferred choice.
The calls have been received from the middle of last week but a mobile number given to the Free Times as a ‘callback’ left with at least one resident went through to a ReachTEL message advising to call the firm’s 1800 number during business hours.
Cr Dobie this week told the Free Times the market research had “absolutely not” been commissioned by the council or by her personally and she was unaware who was behind the polling, which some have described as “push polling”, where questions are intended to produce a preferred response in favour of a particular candidate.
Cr Dobie said the council would “in no way” use ratepayer funds to conduct election-related political research of any kind.
“Obviously it is appropriate that we (council) cover the cost of the election process itself on behalf of the Electoral Commission of Queensland,” Cr Dobie told the Free Times.
“But whatever this research is it definitely hasn’t been commissioned by council.
“I’ve had a number of people ask me about it and that’s the response I’ve given them – some of them have told me they’ve just hung up the phone.
“It could be commissioned by someone who is considering standing at the next election.
“If that is the case then whoever it is will be required to declare whatever they are spending on it under the new requirements set out by the State Government on council election campaign funding.
“Anyone who has publicly declared their intention to nominate has to declare campaign spending within five days.”
A check of the Electoral Commission of Queensland (ECQ) website’s ‘Electronic Disclosure System’ as of Tuesday of this week showed no details of any election spending or donations have been entered for the Southern Downs Regional Council election.
The Free Times asked the Local Government Association of Queensland (LGAQ) if it had commissioned the ReachTEL phone polling, with a spokeswoman saying ReachTEL “hasn’t existed for two years”.
She also said she “can confirm LGAQ hasn’t commissioned any polling with regards to the matters you have outlined”.
The LGAQ comment seems at odds with a call the Free Times made to ReachTEL on a 1800 number listed on their website, answered by a person identifying themselves as a ReachTEL employee on Tuesday of this week.
The employee advised us to direct any further enquiries to their “parent company” Equifax, but no response had been received by time of printing this week.
CANDIDATE TRAINING…
All intending candidates for next year’s local government elections, including sitting councillors and mayors who plan to run again, are now required to complete an online training course before they nominate.
The compulsory training, as a requirement for nomination, is now live and was part of the Local Government Electoral (Implementing Stage 2 of Belcarra) and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2019 passed by Parliament on 16 October this year.
Queensland Local Government Minister Stirling Hinchliffe said the training is
“integral to promoting community confidence in the sector”.
“Queenslanders deserve representation of the highest calibre and mandatory training will mean they have elected officials who have a better understanding of their responsibilities and obligations when serving their communities,” Mr Hinchliffe said.
“This was an important recommendation in the Crime and Corruption Commission’s Operation Belcarra Report and will make sure all candidates go in with their eyes wide open about what is required during the campaign and as a councillor once elected.”
Mr Hinchliffe said as of the start of November there have been more than 200 enrolments, 124 completions, 27 nominations for face-to-face training, 28 completions of the evaluation survey and 33 calls to the hotline from local government candidates across Queensland.
“Mainstream media and social media campaigns have also started,” the Minister said.
“The training includes information such as obligations in relation to reporting donations and expenditure during the campaign as well as the requirement to have a dedicated bank account.
“It also details responsibilities once elected, such as understanding conflicts of interest, the Code of Conduct and requirements involved with a councillor’s register of interests.
“The free training is now available on the Department of Local Government, Racing and Multicultural Affairs website for all intending candidates.
“An alternative to the online training will be face-to-face training at various locations around the State as department officials conduct ‘So You Want To Be A Councillor’ information sessions.
“These free sessions allow those people who may not have access to the online training to still fulfil that nomination requirement in person.”
• For information about the online training as well as the So You Want To Be A Councillor information sessions visit www.dlgrma.qld.gov.au/candidates
