The Liberal Party plans to take the Boroondara City Council to court to stop it from removing the sings of Kooyong candidate Amelia Hamer, the second sign-related squabble to erupt in the affluent Melbourne seat.
The escalation comes after a worker from the council, which the Liberals say is friendly to independent MP Monique Ryan, was filmed confiscating a Liberals sign reading “Monique, please DO NOT take this sign!”.
Another confiscated sign had Ms Hamer’s face on it. A Liberals campaign spokesperson said the incident threatened “the implied freedom of political communication protected by the constitution”, and an injunction push is now underway.
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The council said the signs “presented a risk to pedestrians and road users”, and that it had given each Kooyong candidate a permit to display only one A-frame sign following multiple community complaints about the crowded footpath.
“Council’s focus is ensuring public safety, clear pedestrian access, and amenity,” a spokesperson said. “We hope candidates understand this focus … and comply with these requirements.”
Images posted online show multiple Amelia Hamer A-frames at pre-poll locations.
The spokesperson said Ms Hamer was the only candidate that had failed to comply with the one sign limit and that Liberal HQ had been warned the day before the removal. It is open to the council to consider fines.
Boroondara Mayor Sophie Torney is a political ally of Dr Ryan and ran unsuccessfully as a teal independent for Kew in the 2022 state election.
There is no suggestion that Dr Ryan had any involvement in the removal of the sign or that there was any political motive on the council’s part.
Sign of the times
The contest for Kooyong has been an acrimonious one, the first sign fracas was back in March when Dr Ryan’s husband was filmed removing an Amelia Hamer sign he said had been displayed inappropriately on public property.
The “Monique, please DO NOT take this sign” A-frames are a taunt related to this incident, for which both Dr Ryan and her husband have apologised.
Dr Ryan is seeking re-election after she ousted then-treasurer Josh Frydenberg from the once-safe Liberal seat.
Mr Frydenberg briefly considered, but then abandoned, a Kooyong comeback, an idea which drew mixed reactions from his Liberal colleagues with some furious at the prospect of him pushing out Ms Hamer when she had already been pre-selected.
Monique Ryan unseated then-Treasurer Josh Frydenberg in Kooyong in 2022 and is seekin re-election. (ABC News: Kate Ashton)
Ms Hamer has had challenges of her own, and was asked to explain why she had presented herself to voters as “a renter” when, in addition to renting, she owns two homes.
Dr Ryan referred herself to the electoral commission’s integrity taskforce after a media report showing one of her Chinese Australian volunteers saying she had been instructed to support the independent.
While campaigners on both sides have suggested the race for Kooyong may be close, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has not visited the electorate and would not confirm plans to do so when asked by reporters on Wednesday.
Amelia Hamer, a former staffer for Jane Hume, has faced questions about why she presented herself as a renter without mentioning that she also owned two homes. (Facebook: Amelia Hamer)
Mr Dutton said Ms Hamer was “doing a fantastic job in Kooyong and we’ll get to as many seats in Victoria as we can”.
Asked about the sign, he said “it’s an issue when you’ve got one council where there’s a problem and not the other councils in Greater Melbourne…
“They need to abide by the rule of law and if they’re not doing that, obviously those matters will be dealt with through the courts.”
