Claims of election signage vandalism have emerged from the Katter’s Australian Party and Pauline Hanson’s One Nation candidates in the Callide electorate.
KAP’s Robbie Radel was the first to raise the alarm, estimating on Thursday that over 50 of his signs had gone missing and more were damaged, increasing in frequency as election day got closer.
This was followed by a Facebook post from One Nation candidate, Sharon Lohse, on Friday, showing one of her signs covered by those of a rival candidate.
“So that’s where my signs are going,” she said in her post.
While Ms Lohse didn’t respond to calls from the Queensland Country Life, One Nation’s chief-of-staff, James Ashby described it as dirty tactics.
He added that while it couldn’t be proven who had covered Ms Lohse’s signs, it fitted the mould of a particular party.
Mr Radel said signs erected by friends in the Biloela region on November 14 had disappeared or been replaced by another party’s signs in the same spot or close to where his signs had been placed.
“I doubt I would be the only one its happening to, but I’m pretty frustrated at the moment,” he said.
When he drove the 370km stretch between Biloela and Chinchilla, he discovered almost all his signs along the road had suffered the same fate.
He said he’d replaced them along the way without removing the “very obvious” trend of the same opposition party signs put up within metres of where his signs were erected.
“It’s not hard to work out who is responsible, but unless I am right there taking a pic I can’t prove it,” he said.
Mr Radel said he decided to speak out so that the offenders may be noticed by people and caught.
“Besides a criminal offence it’s a pretty low, despicable act. I wouldn’t be the only one running on fumes at the moment and it deflates you when you spend all your time trying to run a campaign and then scumbags destroy your hard work.”