Paper faces complaint over bid to sway voters

Paul Young. Photo / Paul Estcourt

A Botany voter will be complaining to the Electoral Commission about a local Chinese newspaper after being given an issue published on election day asking voters to support New Citizen Party candidate Paul Young.

Under the Electoral Act, campaigning on election day - including distributing any statement likely to influence a voter on which candidate or party to vote for - is an offence.

The United Chinese Press, which is published in English and Chinese, ran articles and advertisements in its Saturday Chinese edition supporting Mr Young, including a headline that read: "Botany Chinese needs an MP who they can communicate with directly."

An article said a vote for Mr Young was "a vote to benefit the Chinese community" and the writer concluded by saying, "I will definitely support and vote for Paul Young".

The paper also carried a quarter-page advertisement for the New Citizen Party about where voters could get free transport to voting centres.

Mr Young provisionally finished third in the byelection with 1572 votes, or 10.5 per cent, behind winner Jami-Lee Ross (National) on 8150 and Labour's Michael Wood on 4154.

Both Mr Young's New Citizen Party and the United Chinese Press are linked to Jack Chen, the China-based businessman who was behind the failed bid to buy the Crafar farming empire.

The voter, who wanted to be known only as Mr Wang, said he was handed a copy of the paper by Mr Young's supporters outside the New World supermarket at the Botany Town Centre on Saturday as he went to vote.

The free paper had also been widely distributed to Asian supermarkets, food courts and shopping centres within the electorate.

"As a Chinese myself, I find it disgraceful that a Chinese newspaper has to use such underhand tactics to help a Chinese candidate."

Yesterday, Electoral Commission spokeswoman Anastasia Turnbull said the agency would not be able to comment until it had seen the newspaper.

However, the chief electoral officer had spoken to United Chinese Press chief editor Jerry Yang last month after having learned the paper was soliciting ads supporting Mr Young.

Mr Yang had assured the commission that he was aware of the rules and intended to comply with them, she said.

Mr Yang could not be contacted yesterday and did not respond to the emails from the Herald.