Christopher Warren, federal secretary of the MEAA, and Ruth Pollard, federal president, AJA section, write: Re. Media union hardball and the $10,000 Tassie witch (yesterday, item 21). Your Tasmanian Crikey correspondent seems to think that you should have elections without campaigning. In the Alliance we're not frightened of robust debate and when people stick their hands up, they shouldn't be surprised when people express a view and write to other members about those views. To suggest some sort of campaign against particular nominees is both untrue and frankly, an affront to the integrity of the Alliance and its membership. Candidates came together to form a ticket and sought the support of their union colleagues -- to seek and offer such support is the right of any member of the union. Campaigning on a ticket for common values and goals, and seeking the endorsement of the membership is a long-held part of the democratic process, and one the Alliance proudly upholds. To resent this is to resent democracy itself. However, it's appalling that Crikey has lent itself as a vehicle for defamatory smears by a disappointed candidate. The cost of the How to Vote leaflets and their distribution was borne by the nominees. As your correspondent well knows, the Alliance is not permitted, at law, to involve itself in the election process and has not done so, nor endorsed any individual.
My reaction: decide for yourself.
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How can the MEAA Heirarchy claim not to have interfered in the voting process when they have distributed how-to-vote forms that specifically reject the two candidates they don't want, ie, Pos and Phillips? I've seen these how-to-vote cards and can't work out how they can even be legal. I hope the electoral commission investigates this ASAP. Signed, a dumbfounded MEAA voter.
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