Wrong polling station list goes unexplained
The Australian Electoral Commission has not explained how a wrong list of polling stations for Saturday's election was published on its website.
Peninsula News used the list in good faith and published it in the last edition of Peninsula News.
Contrary to information published on the Commission's website, there were no polling stations in Pearl Beach, Patonga or The Bays.
Also listed were Umina library and Umina campus of Brisbane Water Secondary College which were also not polling stations.
The list on the Commission's website was corrected after the Peninsula News deadline.
The Commission issued a media release to Peninsula News, after the published article was brought to its attention by resident groups, who suffered inconvenience and anticipated confusion among residents as a result.
The Commission's media release was too late to be included in an issue of Peninsula News before the election.
The Bays Community Group vice-president Mr Vic Tysoe said the Commission had not contacted his group requesting to use the hall.
He said he checked the Commission's website after Peninsula News was published and the community group's hall was not listed as a venue.
"We wish for our community to be accurately informed of where to vote and if the hall is to be used for voting or not.
"If it is not, we will leave it open for local residents or groups to book and use the hall on that day."
Pearl Beach Progress Association secretary Mr Gary Phillips also contacted Peninsula News: "Pearl Beach Memorial Hall will not be a polling station."
Patonga Beach Progress Associate vice-president Mr Stephen King confirmed the Patonga Hall had not been booked.
Central Coast Council's senior media advisor Ms Sue Davies also wrote to say the Umina Beach library had been incorrectly identified as a polling station.
In a social media post, Brisbane Water Secondary College Umina campus principal Ms Kerrie Thomas said the campus was unavailable as a polling station due to construction work that was in progress on the site.
SOURCE:
Media release, 23 Apr 2025
Vic Tysoe, The Bays Community Group