Media Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - 22/04/2025

Overnight, signs have have been erected adjacent to Suzie Holt’s election corflutes, with the copy 'Don’t risk it'.

The signs carry the line “Authorised by Garth Hamilton, Liberal National Party of Queensland, 516 Ruthven Street, Toowoomba, QLD, 4350”.

It is the first electoral communication that has been authorised personally by the sitting member, however the address used raises questions.

Sitting members are forbidden from using their electorate office for campaigning purposes, yet prior calls from Ms Holt’s campaign for Mr Hamilton to reveal the location of his campaign office have gone unheeded.

By law, there should be a separate office for the campaign of the incumbent, and the electorate office staff, who are employed by the Australian Parliament and not a political party, should be continuing to deal with constituent issues.

“Mr Hamilton has consistently drawn inferences about my character and my policies based upon my campaign donors,” said Ms Holt. “Yet he’s refused to reveal his own. This sign proves that he is blatantly misusing his electorate office to campaign means that he’s effectively using the taxpayer as a donor.”

The electorate office used to to authorise campaign communication is estimated to be worth $10,000 a week, currently paid by the Australian taxpayer. The electorate support budget, which is the taxpayer funded staff budget, is around $9000 per week.

“Over the course of this election, Mr Hamilton is using over $100,000 of taxpayer money to tell people not to vote for me. If the sitting member is really the best representative for Groom, then they shouldn’t require a public subsidy to convince you.”