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22 JULY, 2025
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Integrity questions By Laura Michell The integrity of three candidates for the by-election in Whittlesea’s Lalor Ward has been called into question following the release of how-to-vote materials. Candidates Rex Nicholson, Victoria Edge and Mary Krassos released how-to-vote cards bearing the same postal address in their pamphlets’ authorisation details. The PO Box is the same address listed on election material for Labor candidate Stevan Kozmevski and was used by at least four other Labor candidates during last October’s Whittlesea council election. Election pamphlets, how-to-vote cards and the candidate statements provided to the Victorian Electoral Commission (VEC) by Mr Nicholson, Ms Edge and Ms Krassos make no mention of their affiliation with the Labor Party. Ms Edge’s how-to-vote card states that she is a “community independent”. Mr Nicholson and Ms Edge did not respond to questions from Star Weekly. Ms Krassos cannot be contacted. She did not provide contact information to the VEC when nominating for the by-election. The Victorian Labor Party also did not respond to questions from Star Weekly regarding its involvement in the campaigns for Mr Nicholson, Ms Edge and Ms Krassos, including whether it was providing financial support. Lalor votes are being asked to re-elect a councillor after the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal voided the result of the October 2024 election in Lalor Ward following a vote tampering scheme which sought to benefit third-place candidate Nicholas Hajichristou.
Given the fraud that caused this by-election, transparency is more important than ever - Ellen McNaught How-to-vote pamphlets for Rex Nicolson, Victoria Edge and Mary Krassos have the same PO Box address as Labor candidate Stevan Kozmevski.
By-election candidate Samu Uprety said the materials released by Mr Nicholson, Ms Edge and Ms Krassos raised questions about their integrity. “If candidates aren’t upfront about who they’re really representing, it raises serious questions about their integrity and whether
they’re truly working for the community – or just following their own or their party’s agenda,” she said. “I think it’s really disappointing to see people claiming to be independent when they’re clearly linked to a political party. “Voters deserve honesty and
transparency, especially during an election. “It’s also totally unfair to candidates like myself, who have no support and are actually independent.” Continued: Page 3.
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