Victorian Consolidated Legislation

Local Government Act 1989 - SECT 56

Distribution of printed electoral material

56. Distribution of printed electoral material



(1) A person must not during the hours of voting within 400 metres of the
entrance of, or within the building used as, a voting centre-

   (a)  hand out, distribute or otherwise make available; or





   (b)  authorise the handing out, distribution or otherwise making available-

to any person of any printed electoral material other than a registered
how-to-vote card. Penalty: 10 penalty units.

(2) A person must not-

   (a)  print, publish or distribute; or

   (b)  cause, permit or authorise to be printed, published or distributed-

a how-to-vote card which is not a registered how-to-vote card and which
contains a representation or purported representation of an endorsement in the
prescribed manner. Penalty: 10 penalty units.

(3) In a prosecution of a person for an alleged offence against subsection (1)
or (2), it is a defence if the person proves that the person did not know, and
could not reasonably be expected to have known, that the card was not a
registered how-to-vote card.

(4) Subsection (1) does not apply to-

   (a)  the handing out, distribution, sale or otherwise making available of a
        newspaper by or on behalf of a newsagent, newspaper seller or
        distributor if the handing out, distribution, sale or making available
        is in the course of the newsagent's, newspaper seller's or
        distributor's employment or business; or

   (b)  the handing out, distribution or otherwise making available of any
        printed electoral material in any room or building used as a campaign
        room or an office by a candidate in the election to which the material
        relates; or

   (c)  printed electoral material in the form of any poster or notice which
        is affixed or attached to any vehicle, building, hoarding or structure
        (whether moveable or fixed).