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March 24, 2025
Kooyong MP Monique Ryan and her husband have apologised after a video circulated showing him removing a campaign sign for Ryan’s Liberal challenger from outside a Melbourne home.
The incident prompted the Australian Electoral Commission to issue a warning to all political candidates about “the importance of civility while campaigning”, with the prime minister expected to officially call the election by the end of this week.
Ryan’s husband, Peter Jordan, admitted he made a “mistake” in taking the sign for the Liberals’ Kooyong candidate, Amelia Hamer, from outside the home of a Coalition supporter.
The AEC said it did not police most campaign sign placements and referred inquiries to the local council.
The Nine newspapers first reported a confrontation between Jordan and a Coalition supporter. Nine reported the man who recorded the video was visiting his parents’ home in the Kooyong suburb of Camberwell, near Hawthorn, when he noticed Jordan taking the sign.
The man said the sign had been placed on the nature strip outside the house.
The video, also supplied to Guardian Australia by Coalition sources, shows Jordan walking down the street with the large sign as the person filming the video asks why he took it down.
Jordan replies “because it’s on public land” and declines to give his identity when asked by the person filming.
In a media statement after the video was published by media organisations, Jordan said: “I unreservedly apologise for removing the sign. It was a mistake.”
“I believed the sign was illegally placed but I should have reported my concerns to council.”
Ryan, looking to defend her seat from Hamer’s challenge, said in her own statement: “I apologise for the removal of the sign. It should not have happened.”
“All concerns around signage should be reported to council.”
James Paterson, a Liberal senator, called the incident “totally inappropriate” and “inexcusable behaviour”.
“He should know better and she should know better. And this never should have happened in the first place. And I really hope this is a once-off,” he told Sky News.
“What we want in Kooyong is a clean contest. She has the opportunity to make her arguments. Our campaign and our candidate, Amelia Hamer, has her opportunity to make hers and let voters decide.”
Kooyong, a historically Liberal seat since its inception, was lost by then treasurer Josh Frydenberg at the 2022 election in a highly charged and high-profile race won by neurosurgeon Ryan as part of a so-called “teal” independent wave that swept several moderate Coalition MPs from inner-city seats.
The Liberal party is keen to win Kooyong back in what is expected to be another tense battle. Following a redistribution that saw the seat grow in size, the AEC says Ryan holds Kooyong on a notional 54-46 margin.
Many in Canberra, including Labor and Coalition MPs and sources in both campaign headquarters, are anticipating Anthony Albanese will call the election on either Friday or Sunday. Some are tipping the earlier date in an attempt to take the wind out of Peter Dutton’s budget reply speech on Thursday night – even though it may force the cancellation of Senate estimates hearings scheduled for Friday.
An AEC spokesperson said they were aware of the footage of a campaign sign being removed. They said neither the commission, nor electoral law broadly, regulate signage placement beyond restrictions on how close signs can be installed to polling places.
“The AEC is aware that some local councils have regulations in place around the placement of campaign signs or corflutes. Questions about signage on public land are generally a matter for local council,” they said.
“While the AEC does not regulate the placement of electoral signs, we are reminding all candidates and campaigners of the importance of civility while campaigning at this year’s federal election.”