Campaign text tactic criticised
A TEXT message sent out Australia-wide by "Yes” vote campaigners at the weekend has come under fire for breaching privacy.
Warwick residents were quick to comment on social media about why they had received the message, sent from Australian Marriage Equality on Saturday.
The message read "The Marriage Equality Survey forms have arrived! Help make history and vote YES for a fairer Australia. voteyes.org.au”
On the Daily News Facebook page, Warwick resident Simone Tisdell asked who gave the campaigners the capacity to send the message, while Tanya Peters questioned how the campaigners got a hold of her number, saying it was nobody else's business how she voted.
" I am concerned with how they got my number,” Shanna Louise wrote.
"And if it's from the government... this isn't a vote, just a survey.
"Our personal details shouldn't be handed out to either side.”
"I got it too and am not happy, I don't want junk mail,” Molly Seibel wrote.
Some comments were more explicit.
"You f*****s want to invade my privacy and try to dictate to me lost my vote,” Col Roberts wrote.
The mobile numbers were via a random number generator, rather than obtained from a data base, and were authorised and consistent with electoral commission requirements.
Rise Up Australia Party president Daniel Nalliah, a prominent "No” campaigner, also sent a mass text message that read "Vote NO for SSM. Please watch this brief video and pass it on to your contacts.”
