CANDIDATES at this month's state election have been warned against nailing campaign material to roadside trees across the Bathurst region.
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Orange City Council has already contacted candidates in that seat asking them to remove campaign material from trees, and Bathurst Regional Council is prepared to follow suit.
Mayor Graeme Hanger said council would take action if a number of complaints were received.
But he said council would need to be careful about enforcing any regulation that might inadvertently impact on the ability of local schools, churches and other community groups to advertise their own events.
"If council receives a series of complaints we will consider taking similar action [to Orange]," Cr Hanger said.
"Election campaign advertising is always hard to regulate given the number of signs that will go up, the possibility of tit for tat complaints, the temporary nature of the signs and the resources available to council to regulate them.
"Also, if council was to regulate these signs to any great extent, then council would be impounding signs for the school fete and church bazaar as well.
"Consequently, the intention is to respond to those instances that create a risk to public safety and hope that the majority of people use common sense in promoting their preferred candidate."
Campaign advertising is always hard to regulate.
- Mayor Graeme Hanger
Orange City Council has already taken action on election material after receiving a number of complaints from the public about posters being screwed to trees.
“As we did before the last election, we got in touch directly last week with the campaign offices to remind them about the regulations, and it’s been pleasing that there’s already been action since then to remove posters from trees from roadside areas," a spokesman said.
Under the NSW Electoral Act of 2017 it is an offence to put posters on any public or community-owned land. That includes trees on road verges, on highways, on council-owned buildings or in parks.
Posters and campaign material can only be displayed on private property with the owner's permission.
What's banned
- No posters on any Crown or community owned land
- Posters banned from trees on road verges and alongside highways
- No posters on council-owned buildings, structures or in parks
- Posters only allowed on private property with owner's permission
- While not banned, putting screws into trees can make them susceptible to decay or reduce their life expectancy
- Posters are banned from any wall, fence or boundary of a polling place
- No posters on cars or stalls on footpaths near polling place
- Electoral matter cannot be written, drawn or depicted on any property, including roads, footpaths, buildings, vehicles, vessels, hoardings or place (whether it is or is not a public place and whether on land or water).
- Names and addresses of a person authorising the electoral material must be included on all posters and signs
- However, that doesn't include electoral matter on T-shirts, lapel buttons, lapel badges, pens, pencils, balloons or business cards.
Source: NSW Electoral Act 2017 No. 66
