Second AEC ruling against Advance Australia over campaign against David Pocock

The independent ACT Senate candidate complained to the AEC on Wednesday over what he called Advance Australia's "grubby and desperate" one-minute robocalls in the ACT, which painted him an "extreme Green" and encouraged a vote for Liberal rival Zed Seselja.

The late-stage campaign political message contained no authorisation required under law. There was only the identifier, "Hi I'm Shelly from Advance" at the start.

Mr Pocock had written on Wednesday to the AEC, which ruled the reference to Advance at the start was "insufficient". A spokesman said an appropriate authorisation must, at the start, include an individual and a location.

Advance Australia had earlier rejected the complaint, saying its calls are to supporters "who have opted in to communications" and Mr Pocock is "having a sook" about an answering machine message.

It comes just days after the AEC ruled that Advance Australia's "Greens Superman" attack ads targeting Mr Pocock and independent candidate for Warringah Zali Steggall were misleading and deceptive, and therefore in breach of section 329 of the Electoral Act. These ads have been "paused" amid threats of legal action.

People in the ACT had received the message on their mobiles. The Canberra Times had heard a replay of a voicemail with the message as well as the current message on Advance Australia's answering machine.

"Someone from our team was trying to get in touch with you to make sure you were aware how solid Zed Seselja has been on Australian values in the Senate and what extreme Green independent David Pocock really stands for before you cast your vote," "Shelly from Advance" said.

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The message claimed Mr Pocock would throw his support behind the Greens in the Senate if elected, before it then ran through recent attack lines on the former Wallabies captain - that he "chained himself to a coal digger" in 2014 and has said he won't have kids "because it is bad for the environment".

"Sounds like an extreme Green to me," said "Shelly".

"I'm sorry we missed you this time, but please remember when you head to the polls, anything other than a vote for Zed Seselja and the Liberals in the Senate is a vote for a weak Green government.

"It's a risk we just can't take in these dangerous times. I hope to catch you next time. Goodbye."

The message then ends without an authorisation.

Mr Pocock has described the calls as "dirty election-eve tactics".

"These are grubby and desperate tactics that are again seeking to scare and mislead voters rather than inspire them with big ideas that will benefit our community," he said in a statement.

"Our campaign has asked the AEC to investigate as the calls do not appear to carry an audible authorisation as required under electoral law.

"The AEC has already found Advance Australia breached the Electoral Act by deliberately seeking to mislead voters in material that has also been shared by Canberra Liberals. Our community deserves so much better than these dirty election-eve tactics."

Advance Australia, which has been found to have links to Senator Seselja and the Canberra Liberals, has rejected the complaint.

"Advance has been making calls to our 300,000 supporters around the country who have opted in to communications from us. These include in-person phone calls, emails and direct mail - all authorised," an Advance spokesperson said in a statement.

"The message Pocock is shopping around to journalists is Advance's answering machine message. No politician or third party in the country authorises their answering machine messages.

"Perhaps before Pocock jumped on the phone to have a sook about the authorisation on Advance's answering machine message, he should've had a listen to his own, which is also unauthorised."

The office of Senator Seselja has denied involvement in robocalls referring to David Pocock.