Dam poll rigged, says Opposition
Tony Moore

May 8, 2007

At least one of the three computers allegedly used to fake an online poll supporting the Traveston Crossing Dam has been linked to a government department in a Brisbane building.

The computer allegedly contributed 46 votes in favour of the Traveston Dam proposal, while on a second computer from Parliament House, 25 votes in favour of the dam were registered.

A third computer, described on Channel Seven news tonight as a “company” computer, logged 104 votes in favour of the Traveston Crossing Dam.

Opposition Leader Jeff Seeney and Nationals MP Rob Messenger made the initial allegations concerning voting irregularities earlier today.

Mr Messenger, who in 2005 raised questions in State Parliament about Bundaberg doctor Jayant Patel leading to his subsequent investigation, questioned the involvement of Queensland public servants in the online poll about the Traveston Dam on his website.

The poll showed 85 per cent of respondents supported the dam, which will inundate hundreds of properties in the Mary Valley.

Mr Seeney accused Acting Premier Anna Bligh of helping stack votes in support of the Traveston Crossing Dam, being built near Gympie, in the online opinion poll.

Mr Seeney and Mr Messenger both claim Ms Bligh authorised public servants to log 175 votes in favour of the $1.7 billion dam on April 19, and have asked the state’s crime watchdog, the Crime and Misconduct Commission (CMC), to investigate.

It is understood further investigations this afternoon reveal that the IP address of one computer has been linked to a government department in a Brisbane building. This information has been forwarded to the CMC.

The project’s process is being monitored by the Department of Infrastructure, within Ms Bligh’s portfolio.

Ms Bligh said she had no knowledge of the alleged improper behaviour.

“I am not aware of any inappropriate behaviour by any of my staff, but that does not mean that it may not be a matter to be investigated,” Ms Bligh said.

“I encourage the CMC to fully investigate this matter if they have the jurisdiction to do so.”

Mr Seeney said Ms Bligh should take responsibility.

Mr Messenger said he had forwarded details of three computers used to log 175 votes in favour of the dam to the CMC, asking that they investigate.

“Immediately I smelled a rat because everyone I speak to says they don’t want the dam for a whole range of commonsense reasons,” Mr Messenger said.

“I had technicians check my site and in the three hours immediately prior to Anna Bligh’s announcement in parliament, 175 votes in favour of the dam came from three computers.”

Ms Bligh has written to the CMC to offer her full cooperation with their investigations.

The CMC has confirmed it has received information from Mr Messenger and that it was being assessed.

Pressure on Bligh over poll ‘stacking’

Greg Roberts
May 09, 2007

QUEENSLAND Deputy Premier Anna Bligh came under mounting pressure yesterday over the revelation that three computer addresses used in the alleged stacking of an online opinion poll were linked to the Beattie Government.

One of the computers that apparently lodged the votes is in Queensland’s Parliament House, with the internet provider registered in the name of the Queensland Legislative Assembly.

The other two IP addresses supposedly linked to the poll stacking are registered with Verizon Business Australia, part of a global technology corporation that allocates addresses to internet customers.

One of the Verizon addresses is linked to a government department on the third level of a building in Brisbane.

Ms Bligh’s Infrastructure Department has offices on the third level of the Executive Building in the city.

Verizon has extensive commercial dealings with the Queensland Department of Education and the state Department of Employment and Training.

Ms Bligh is a former senior policy officer with what was thenthe state Department of Employment, Vocational Education, Training and Industrial Relations.

Verizon spokesman Darren Day confirmed that two of the addresses were registered with Verizon, but he said the company was not involved with the online poll voting.

The Australian reported yesterday that Nationals frontbencher Rob Messenger had referred to the state’s Crime andMisconduct Commission a complaint on the issue, which provided three computer IP addresses.

The addresses were used last month to lodge 175 votes in favour of the controversial Traveston Dam for a poll run on Mr Messenger’s website.

Within hours of the votes being lodged, Ms Bligh interrupted parliament to reveal that 85per cent of respondents to the poll supported the dam.

Mr Day said Verizon would co-operate with any CMC request for information.

A spokeswoman for the anti-corruption body said Mr Messenger’s complaint would be examined.

But a defiant Ms Bligh said the CMC should not waste time investigating the matter.

“I would expect the CMC to be getting on and fighting crime, not to be wallowing around with something as silly as this,” Ms Bligh said.

The Public Sector Ethics Act requires government officers to ensure that public resources are not “wasted, abused, or used improperly or extravagantly”.

Ms Bligh dismissed the complaint as “laughable”, and said she was unaware of anyone in her office, or any government employee, stacking the poll.

Opposition Leader Jeff Seeney said Ms Bligh should take responsibility for an apparent breach of the law.

“You’ve got Mr Messenger’s website receiving hundreds of hits from government accounts and minutes later Ms Bligh is on her feet in parliament,” Mr Seeney said. “I think most people would have a hard time accepting the Deputy Premier’s statement that she had no idea this was going on.”

Ms Bligh said she had written to the CMC advising that she would co-operate with any investigation. “On the face of it, if it is established, it looks to me like gross stupidity rather than any criminal activity, but that is a matter for the CMC to determine,” she said.

“Government computers are there to do government work on, and it is not appropriate for them to be misused.”

 
Online poll rort inquiry

By Renee Viellaris
May 11, 2007

THE Queensland corruption watchdog will investigate the alleged rigging of a Traveston Crossing Dam online poll.
It has also dismissed claims by the State Government that it would be a waste of time.

Crime and Misconduct Commission chairman Robert Needham told The Courier-Mail allegations of public officials manipulating the survey was not a “minor matter”.

It comes as Acting Premier Anna Bligh refuses to apologise or correct the statement she gave in Parliament.

Ms Bligh interrupted Parliament on April 29 to say 85 per cent of people who responded to the Opposition’s online survey supported the Government.

“I did not mislead the Parliament. I accurately represented what was on (Nationals MP) Rob Messenger’s website,” Ms Bligh said last night.

Mr Messenger referred the matter to the CMC when he was advised that on the day of Ms Bligh’s speech, 175 votes had been posted in three hours to support the Government.

“It’s a major concern when you have the Deputy Premier rushing back to Parliament after three hours of organised positive hits on my website to announce her policies are winners,” he said.

Earlier in the week, Ms Bligh described the matter as a waste of time.

However, Mr Needham said he was taking the issue seriously.

“It raises the possibility that some public officer or officers have manipulated the result and passed on that information on to the Minister without her knowing it to be inaccurate,” Mr Needham said.

“If that has been passed on to the Minister, knowing she would use that information publicly, then that is viewed as official misconduct and the CMC would not regard that as a minor matter.”

On Wednesday, Ms Bligh told The Courier-Mail that: “The CMC is empowered to investigate it. On the face of it, it looks to me like gross stupidity, rather than a criminal activity, but that’s a matter for the CMC.”

 
Govt staff rigged polls: Nats
Tony Moore

May 11, 2007

Ministerial staffers, public servants and contractors to the Government manipulated the ABC’s online website for the North Bank proposal, Opposition Leader Jeff Seeney told the Crime and Misconduct Commission (CMC) this morning.

Mr Seeney has written to CMC chairperson Robert Needham asking him to investigate the “poll-rorting affair”, including allegations the government manipulated at least two online polls.

“Information we have received is that the online poll on the ABC website, the official consultation website and the paper-based feedback survey were manipulated to boost results in favour of supporting the project,” he writes.

“We are advised that this manipulation was undertaken by ministerial staffers, public servants and contractors to the Government.”

brisbanetimes.com.au reported yesterday that one computer in the ABC online poll registered more than 400 votes and of the total 2800 votes, only 809 were “unique”.

The Opposition opposes the North Bank proposal, while the Government has awarded the contract for the proposal to Multiplex.

Nationals MP Rob Messenger wrote to the CMC earlier in the week requesting an investigation after 175 votes were added to an online poll on the Traveston Crossing Dam on April 29.

It is alleged they came from three computers in the three hours before the issue was raised in State Parliament by Deputy Premier Anna Bligh.

One of these computers was from a government department building, the other was from Parliament House.

Mr Seeney said he now wanted the CMC to broaden its investigations.

“Anna Bligh apparently thinks this is a joke,” he said. “No doubt Jim Elder and Mike Kaiser thought it was a joke too.

“It is part of the Labor Party culture. Vote early, vote often and get the result that you want.”

Mr Seeney said he was aware of the fallibility of online polls, but said they were important when they are used as part of the justification for decision-making.

“It is not a joke when those rorted polls are used to justify the Government’s bad decisions,” he said.

“That’s what we believe has been happening and we believe that the CMC has a legitimate role in seeking out just how widespread this poll rorting has been.”

Mr Seeney said he was also concerned about polls used by the Government to justify their position on adding recycled water to South East Queensland’s drinking supplies.

Anna Bligh today denied any personal involvement and said she would co-operate with any CMC investigation.

She said yesterday the polls were not “scientific”, nor considered a “referendum on the proposal.”

“The North Bank polls were done in conjunction with media outlets and as part of a multi-pronged approach to gauge public reaction,” she said.

“I have said the polls were an opportunity for the community to have a say and that the final decision, of course, would be made by Government.”

The CMC confirmed it had received Mr Seeney’s letter.