Zali Steggall claims ‘coordinated attack’ shows opponents are going low while electoral commission says posters could be illegal

The Australian Electoral Commission is investigating after hundreds of fake campaign signs were put up in blue-ribbon Liberal electorates across New South Wales overnight, falsely suggesting independent candidates were members of the Greens.

Independents in Warringah, Mackellar, Hughes and Hume reported their own posters had been ripped down and replaced with near-identical copies bearing Greens branding in the early hours of Friday morning, in what they said was a “coordinated” attack.

“If the matter weren’t so serious it would be a joke,” Warringah MP Zali Steggall said. “My opponents are going low – very low – with fake posters.”

Steggall’s campaign said on Friday that their own corflutes had been damaged or removed overnight with doctored versions appearing in their place on Sydney’s northern beaches. The new posters did not carry any authorisation message as required by the AEC and seemed to be printed professionally.

Other independent candidates including Sophie Scamps in Mackellar, Georgia Steele in Hughes and Penny Ackery in Hume reported similar activity in their electorates.

Mackellar and Hume are held by Liberal MPs Jason Falinski and Angus Taylor, while Hughes is held by former Liberal MP and now United Australia Party leader Craig Kelly.

“We understand this is a coordinated attack campaign targeting independents, with almost identical corflutes appearing in other electorates overnight,” Steggall said.

The designs of the faked posters varied slightly but all carried the large triangular Greens logo.

Scamps called the signs “dirty tricks” and “misleading”. Her campaign said up to 30 fake signs had been discovered.

I know the @AusElectoralCom is investigating but this is the type of tactic you need to resort to when you can’t stand on your track record or have a vision for the future. It’s also why I support @zalisteggall’s Stop the Lies Bill to outlaw lying in political advertising #auspol pic.twitter.com/gphj2wuKma

“This has been distressing and upsetting to many of our campaign volunteers and supporters and is one of the reasons I am backing Zali Steggall’s Stop the Lies Bill, which would outlaw lies in political advertising,” Scamps said on Friday.

“It is clear this was a well-coordinated and well-resourced attack.”

Scamps called on her opponent, Falinski, to condemn the activity. He said his campaign had no connection to the fake corflutes and denounced those responsible.

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“I condemn this, and to anyone who’s my supporter who thinks this is a good idea, we’ll beat Climate 200 by letting people know the truth, not with stunts like this,” Falinski said.

A Coalition campaign spokesperson said: “The Liberal party did not make, and is not associated, with these signs.”

Climate 200 is a fundraising vehicle to bankroll campaigns by independents prioritising climate action and stronger accountability measures. According to its website, Climate 200 is supporting Steggall, Scamps and Steele with some campaign contributions.

Steele, in Hughes, said about 100 of her signs were vandalised and about 30 fake corflutes erected in their place.

“Our corflutes were slashed and replaced with unauthorised, co-opted designs. Our telephone booth ads were covered in spray paint too,” she said. “We predicted attacks. We knew that if they came, we were doing something right.”

First they ignore you … pic.twitter.com/fNLrdJlCLf

In Hume, Ackery claimed “hundreds” of fake signs had gone up, with 20 of her own vandalised. A spokesperson claimed those responsible had entered private property including front yards to remove authentic Ackery posters and replace them with fake ones.

“It’s a new low and desperate,” Ackery’s spokesperson said. “Of particular disrespect is that some were erected near the gravesite of where Ackery buried her husband only weeks ago in Goulburn.”

Federal Greens leader, Adam Bandt, said his party had no involvement in the corflutes and said his party had reported it to the AEC too.

“There’s a good chance this is a criminal act,” he tweeted. “If it turns out this was someone on the conservative side of politics, it shows how desperate they’re getting – their only hope for winning is to lie to people about who they’re voting for.”

Advance, a conservative political action group that has campaigned against Steggall and other climate-focused independents, denied it was behind the fake corflutes.

“This is absolutely not ADVANCE,” a spokesperson said. “All material produced by ADVANCE is clearly authorised and strictly complies with AEC rules.”

Steggall has asked supporters to look for security footage that may identify those responsible.

The AEC said the “fake signs” could breach rules around electoral communication and the commission was taking the issue “extremely seriously”.

“The signs in question vary a little so it is a little hard to generalise … however, as a general statement, authorisation is the obvious one that is missing for some we have seen which is a breach of the Commonwealth Electoral Act,” a spokesperson said.

“There are also questions about s329 of the Electoral Act [on misleading or deceptive publications] and whether or not some of the signage is sufficient to meet that provision. Both are elements that we’re looking at.”

Ackery’s campaign said the fake signs had been reported to NSW police. The force was contacted for comment.