Editor insists election day endorsement legal

New Citizen Party candidate Paul Young. Photo / Paul Estcourt

The chief editor of a local Chinese newspaper has defended the publication of an election-day edition to support a Chinese party candidate in the Botany byelection.

Under electoral law, advertising and statements which could influence voters cannot be published or broadcast on election day.

United Chinese Press published an edition dated Saturday, March 5 - the date of the byelection - but its editor, Jerry Wen Yang, denies he has broken any rules because the paper was printed the day before.

The Electoral Commission said it considered newspapers published after 6pm on the day before the election day as being published on election day, but Mr Yang said he got his paper printed before the 6pm deadline.

"Our paper was printed on Friday and is only distributed on Saturday.

"According to my understanding, what we have published is not considered to be election advertising but freedom of speech."

A Botany voter is complaining to the Electoral Commission after being handed a copy of the newspaper on election day at Botany Town Centre by a supporter campaigning for New Citizen Party candidate Paul Young.

Both the party and the newspaper are supported by the Chinese businessman behind the failed bid for the Crafar farms.

The paper ran a headline saying Botany Chinese needed an MP they could communicate with directly, articles backing Mr Young and an advert for the New Citizen Party.

Mr Young finished provisionally third of 10 candidates, behind National Party winner Jami-Lee Ross and Labour's Michael Wood.

Electoral Commission spokeswoman Anastasia Turnbull said yesterday that the agency would not be able to comment until a translation had been considered.