“The lifesaver was just telling the story … the suggestion it was an endorsement by Surf Life Saving is just absurd,” he said.
But it’s not just the red and gold lifesaving uniform that has been potentially misappropriated during the campaign.
While the regulator requires charities to be strictly non-political, many not-for-profits have been used by candidates in political advertising.
The chief executive of Guide Dogs Victoria, Karen Hayes, was stood down last month after she appeared on Treasurer Josh Frydenberg’s election flyers, and in paid advertisements on his Facebook page.
Photos of the treasurer posing with young Scouts were also removed from promotional material in the highly contested seat of Kooyong in Melbourne’s inner east, after complaints about children’s images being used for political purposes.
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The Breast Cancer Network Australia was the third charity to publicly back Frydenberg in his battle against teal candidate Monique Ryan, with chief executive Kirsten Pilatti telling Sky News that Frydenberg had “always been at the end of the phone”.
In the inner west Sydney marginal seat of Reid, Liberal MP Fiona Martin quoted former Australian of the Year and mental health advocate Patrick McGorry in her campaign material without his consent.
McGorry requested his image and supportive comments be removed because they were out of context and could damage his advocacy work.
The Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission has warned charities that being seen as partisan can damage their standing in the community and risks alienating supporters.
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They also risk losing ACNC registration if one of their stated purposes is to “promote or oppose a political party or a candidate for political office” – although just one charity has lost its registration in the past 10 years.
An ACNC spokeswoman said charities were allowed to campaign on political issues to advance their cause, so long as that did not amount to promoting or opposing a particular political party or candidate.
“It is important that charities do not cross the line into having a disqualifying political purpose and that they maintain independence from party politics,” she said.
The regulator could not comment on how many complaints it had received this election campaign.
Lifesavers and puppies – why are so many charities being used in political ads?
Source: Philippines Alive
