FED:Greens want changes to advertising

AAP General News (Australia)
08-15-2010
FED:Greens want changes to advertising

CANBERRA, Aug 15 AAP - The Australian Greens say political players could be tempted
to engage in unethical election advertising in the lead up to the poll.

Party leader Bob Brown says misleading voters on the way to the ballot box should be
made an offence under changes he's proposing to the Electoral Act.

"There's no doubt in the last week of an election campaign the temptation becomes bigger
... to engage in increasingly untrue advertising," Senator Brown told reporters in Canberra.

One example was South Australian Family First candidate Bob Day who is accused of portraying
himself as an independent, Senator Brown said.

"Whether that is truthful or not we should have somebody independently looking at that,"

he said, proposing a new unit at the Australian Electoral Commission.

Senator Brown says the idea is backed by polling undertaken by the party.

The Galaxy poll of more than 1000 people shows more than 90 per cent of respondents
would be in favour of new laws to prevent misleading advertising.

AAP sld/sb/jm/apm

KEYWORD: POLL10 ADVERTISING

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