Club Troppo

Warm relationship between Beattie and Gillard – a particularly disturbing photo from Landeryou’s blog

I’m generally very wary of linking to Andrew Landeryou’s blog because it’s so full of material that appears to be seriously defematory.   However, he’s currently running a story that doesn’t seem to defame anyone and which  the MSM doesn’t yet seem to have caught up with, namely that the Victorian Electoral Commissioner has ordered a recount in one of the two upper house seats apparently thought to have been won by the resurrected DLP.   Landeryou even publishes what he says is the Commissioner’s memo:

Northern Metropolitan Region  

Following a thorough check of the count sheet for Northern Metropolitan Region, I am sufficiently concerned about the underlying integrity of the Liberal vote in that region to require a recount of all ballot papers.   It is my preliminary view that the Liberal Party vote is overstated by about 6,000 votes and that such an overstatement could have a profound effect on the result.

In order to give parties and candidates time to arrange scrutineers, this recount will commence at 6:00 pm at MECC and will probably conclude around 3 am. The result following the recount will be recalculated.

This recount is in addition to the recounts where arrangements are already in place for Western Victoria and Western Metropolitan Regions.

I have scrutinised the count sheets and ballot paper reconciliations for the other 5 Regions and consider that there are no issues to consider. These will proceed with the current declaration arrangements.

Further, it remains the intention that the recounts will be conducted in time so as not to delay the previously arranged declarations.

Steve Tully
Electoral Commissioner