'Smear and fear': Liberal Party links to Advance Australia queried

Numerous ties have surfaced between key figures within the Coalition and the conservative lobby group Advance Australia, despite both sides insisting they're independent of each other.

The political group is behind the ads targeting independents and left-wing parties threatening to unseat the Coalition in some key areas, and has already run smear campaigns against Warringah independent MP Zali Steggall and ACT Senate contender David Pocock.

But the Liberal Party's federal and ACT branches, along with conservative powerbroker ACT senator Zed Seselja, have outright denied any involvement in the firebrand group.

The Canberra Times can reveal the group fighting for "mainstream Australia" and causing a frenzy over imported culture wars counts former Coalition figures among its leadership team and its campaigning efforts.

Advance Australia's executive director, Matthew Sheahan, has also insisted it has "no affiliation whatsoever with any other campaign group or any MP or senator".

"We have campaigned for and against Coalition and Labor policy decisions. But we have never had anything positive to say about the Greens, I mean how could you?" Mr Sheahan said in a statement.

In Warringah, where the Prime Minister's captain's pick Katherine Deves is trying to win back Tony Abbott's former seat, Advance Australia trucks depicting independent MP Zali Steggall as a secret Greens candidate and supportive of trans athletes were rolled out this week.

A similar scene occurred in the nation's capital, where independent Senate candidate David Pocock is threatening to take the territory's second upper house seat from the conservative Liberal senator Zed Seselja.

Our in-depth look into the group can reveal another former staffer and close personal friend of Senator Seselja is involved in its mission.

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It marks the second known former staffer from his office entangled in the operation, after former adviser Liz Storer became the group's national director for a nine-month period following the 2019 federal election.

Conservative campaign consultancy firm Whitestone Strategic holds administration rights over Advance Australia's Facebook page and was paid at least $23,605 in 2019-20 for its services to the group.

The firm's sole director, Steve Doyle, is a family member and former staff member of Senator Seselja, while a previous director, David Hutt, was on the national executive of the Australian Christian Lobby.

Mr Doyle served as the now senator's chief-of-staff while he was the ACT opposition leader in the early 2010s, and remains his "good friend" in addition to being his brother-in-law.

However, Senator Seselja has rebuffed any links to the group, saying he has no oversight over Mr Doyle's commercial agreements with Advance Australia.

"I am not privy to [Mr Doyle's] commercial agreements," the senator said.

"As I am not affiliated with Advance Australia in any way, I cannot comment on what their arrangements are, however, I do support free speech and the right for everyone, including Advance Australia, to participate in the democratic process."

The consulting firm also completed work for Fred Nile's Christian Democratic Party during at least a six-month period in the lead up to the 2019 NSW election.

It was paid nearly $100,000 by the socially conservative political party to undertake consulting work, voter research and media campaigns.

The website of the Australian Christian Lobby's former head, Lyle Shelton, is also linked to the firm, according to the religious lobbyist's domain registration records.

Tio Faulkner, a former colleague of Mr Doyle and Senator Seselja's right-hand during his time in ACT politics, is also listed as a director for the anti-trans group, Binary.

Formerly known as the Marriage Alliance, the group rebranded following the plebiscite on marriage equality, recruiting failed Australian Conservative candidate Kirralie Smith.

While not officially associated with Advance Australia, Ms Smith has also had numerous interactions with members on her personal social media page and has published posts supportive of Advance Australia's "vote Labor, get Greens" messaging.

She has also publicly backed the Liberal Warringah candidate Ms Deves against "woke" activists criticising her controversial views against transgender people.

Over in the Northern Territory, Country Liberal Senate candidate Jacinta Nampijinpa Price, an official Advance Australia spokesperson until earlier this month, has thrown her support behind Ms Deves, committing to push back on the "anti-women agenda".

Ms Price also attended an ACT Young Liberals event last year, where she met with members of the youth wing.

The Young Liberals branch did not respond to questions regarding whether members had assisted in distributing Advance Australia political material, or why it had chosen to publish supportive posts of the group on its social media pages.

But the additional links add to a growing number of ties to the Coalition's conservative right faction.

Advance Australia was initially founded by a former Nationals chief-of-staff, Gerard Benedet, who has since been appointed the Queensland director of the Pharmacy Guild.

Last month, the Canberra Times revealed former long-serving Liberal MLA for ACT's Legislative Assembly, Vicki Dunne, had joined the group as a director and finance committee chair in early 2021.

The Canberra Liberals confirmed last month the former assembly speaker was no longer a member of its branch.

While she had been engaged to deliver a review of the party's performance in the ACT 2020 campaign, Mrs Dunne is believed to have relinquished her membership nine days before officially joining Advance Australia in February.

For the progressive candidates being targeted by the group, it's a reminder of the lack of regulation surrounding political advertising in Australia.

Warringah MP Zali Steggall said it's why she has tried to introduce new laws to stamp out lies in political advertising.

The "Stop the Lies" bill proposed to mop up the "volume of misleading and deceptive advertising" seen during election periods, by giving the Australian Electoral Commission the power to order groups to stop publishing the offending political material, retract false statements or correct the record.

Political donations should also be capped, the independent added.

"You have someone like Clive Palmer spending 85 million-plus dollars trying to buy himself into our government," Ms Steggall said.

"So, I think a group like Advance Australia are a classic outcome of a lack of regulation."

Mr Pocock said a number of confused and outraged Canberrans had reached out to him regarding the Advance Australia signs after they popped up in the nation's capital this month.

But Ms Steggall is not worried about the impact of the attack ads, claiming it has a reverse effect on her chances against the controversial Liberal contender.

"This kind of negative advertising actually increases the support from the community because the community just does not want these kinds of dirty porkies," she said.

"Smear and fear - the electorate dislikes it intensely."

Mr Doyle, Mr Sheahan and Mrs Dunne were all contacted for comment but did not respond.