Liberal candidate for Mill Park Joel Drysdale has used humour to highlight the vandalism of election campaign signage, sharing a light-hearted post after his signs were defaced across Melbourne’s northern suburbs.
Drysdale, a publican, brewer and small business owner based in Melbourne’s north, posed alongside his vandalised signage in a social media post on Sunday.
“Another happy day out talking to our community!
“We’re starting to see plenty of my signage go up across the electorate, I’m just glad to see Liberal Victoria’s photography team got my best angle when producing my signs.
“Happy Sunday all!” he wrote.
Drysdale’s team added to the humour by editing his photograph to match the damage to the signs, including black circles around the eyes, red lips, exaggerated eyebrows and a broken tooth.
Behind the joke, however, the incident highlights wider concerns about vandalism and hostility towards political candidates during election campaigns.
Candidates in Victorian local and state elections have reported incidents involving damaged or stolen campaign signs, threatening behaviour and online attacks targeting candidates and their businesses.
One explanation offered by experts is a decline in civility in political debate. The term “outgroup hostility” describes negative attitudes or aggression directed at people perceived to belong to a different political group.
Drysdale is part of Liberal leader Jess Wilson’s team and is campaigning on cost-of-living pressures, support for small businesses and community safety.
Raised in regional Victoria, Drysdale moved to Melbourne at 21. He and his wife, Janna, live in Epping with their two daughters and are involved in local community and sporting activities.
Drawing on his experience as a small business owner, he says rising living costs, red tape and crime are among the key concerns facing local families and businesses.
He has pledged to support small businesses, reduce cost-of-living pressures and improve community safety as part of the Liberals’ push for what the party calls a “Fresh Start Victoria”.
In Victoria, penalties for damaging property depend on the nature and value of the damage and the offence charged. Wilful damage involving property valued below $5,000 can attract a fine or imprisonment, while more serious criminal damage can carry substantially heavier penalties. Graffiti offences may also result in fines and orders to cover clean-up costs.
The vandalism of campaign signs raises questions about respect for democratic participation and the ability of candidates to engage with voters without their property being damaged or stolen.
Support our Journalism
No-nonsense journalism. No paywalls. Whether you’re in Australia, the UK, Canada, the USA, or India, you can support The Australia Today by taking a paid subscription via Patreon or donating via PayPal — and help keep honest, fearless journalism alive.
