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ACT on Campus referred to the Police

by Whaleoil on February 7, 2012

Good, if you can’t follow the rules you deserve to be prosecuted:

The Electoral Commission has referred the following matter to the Police:

  • ACT on Campus ‘Not your typical party’ flyer, baseball cap and t-shirt.

It is the Electoral Commission’s view that the publication of the ACT on Campus flyer, baseball cap and t-shirts constitutes a breach of sections 204F and 204H of the Electoral Act 1993 because the items are election advertisements that did not contain a valid promoter statement and were not authorised in writing by the ACT party secretary.

As this matter is now with the Police, the Electoral Commission will not be commenting further.

Now if the Police could progress the log jam of complaints referred to them I might have just a bit more confidence in our Electoral System, that repeat offenders and law breakers actually get prosecuted.

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  • Matt Collins

    hmm all i can say is “ACT on Campus…No surpirses there!” :P

  • http://twitter.com/hifuncblonde Beth Houlbrooke

    That seems odd, because my son has one of those T-shirts and it definitely had an promoter statement on it (iron-on which we have since picked off).  Can’t vouch for the caps or flyers as I haven’t seen those.

  • Magoo.

    Is Act on Campus a political party? If not (which they aren’t), then what is wrong with the top t-shirt at their online shop?
    http://www.actoncampus.org.nz/civicrm/contribute/transact?reset=1&id=4Likewise with the caps & flyers, as long as they state ACT on Campus instead of ACT in what way does it breach the act? The fact that AOC members believe in ACT’s message doesn’t doesn’t make their club a political party, or even a branch of one. Next thing you won’t be able to wear a Led Zeppelin t-shirt on Johnny Rotten’s birthday. I think the Electoral Commission would be spending their time more efficiently chasing up Labour’s repeated, blatantly intentional, flouting of the laws regarding their billboards.

    • Magoo.
    • Hakimofphut

      Every object asking for votes has to have a promoter statement.
      Dont Vote Labour for the Car-Fe carwash  had to put a statement on it.
      Doesnt have to be a political party, applies to unions, non govs etc as well

    • Colin

       ACT is a political party. ACT on campus is associated with that political party and uses the same intellectual property as ACT, therefore advertise ACT, by associating themselves with them. Symbols are powerful. Immagine if the Young Nats did the same… or the junior arms of other parties… Showing a party symbol is advertising that party.

    • Peter Wilson

      It doesn’t matter if they are, or not. Sounds like they are encouraging people to support a particular party, so……gotcha.

  • peteremcc

    ACT on Campus has no legal relation to ACT.

    Nothing on any of our material asks for votes for ACT, promotes any ACT policy or promotes any ACT politicians or candidates.
    They are recruitment material for our private organization.

    • Colin

       When a westie wears his “Motorhead” t-shirt, he is advertising that band, even if he has no connection to the band. When ACT on campus use the ACT slogan, they are advertising ACT, regardless of any association!

    • http://votenz.blogspot.com/ Joel

      Why does ACT on Campus have no legal relation to the ACT Party? Considering, however, that you use the logo and trademarks of ACT, you have a de facto relation with them. If this material was distributed during the election period, it was promoting ACT – by publicising their name, colours and logo. 

      Your organisation also very publicly supported John Banks (for that, I thank you), so you cannot claim you do not ask people to vote for ACT. I am sorry you have gotten into this position, but you should have put a promoter statement on it, it would have been very easy. 

  • Apolonia

    Is there anything left of ACT to prosecute?

  • Greg M

    Has anyone, ever, been prosecuted after bieng referred to police by the electoral commission ?

    • Graeme Edgeler

      Yes.

  • Bobo the Idiot

    My wife has a tee shirt saying Dumb and Dumber pointing to me.   Does that mean I am in breach of the law by advertising members of the Labour Party……

  • Vikingonmars

    What about those nice labour and National rosettes that all the candidates wear? Clearly they fall within the ACT.
    This stuff is bordering on the foolish. Which describes parliament at the best of times.

  • dad4justice

    After the keystones have sorted this pathetic shit out can they tell me who killed the Kahui twins and Kirsty Bentley.

    Fuck this country is unwell!

    • Anonymous

      wake up, we all know who killed the Kahui twins, but that’s irrelevant to this topic. Sure you haven’t been toking it up with phil ure?

      • dad4justice

        don’t smoke drugs dude, check records Ashburton police asked me if I knew anything about Kirsty,but you know that eh know aLL? Talk about a sick ACT.

      • Anonymous

        Not quite sure where you’re going with this, or what your point is, don’t think you do either. Good luck.

    • http://votenz.blogspot.com/ Joel

      No, I agree with you to a certain extent, dad4justice. The police do have child abuse and violent crime to sort out, which could be seen as more important than the electoral system.

      However, if you start letting little things slide with our democracy, it’s a slippery slope. These things can’t be overlooked.