ALP Respond To Complaint Over ‘Misuse’ Of Mailing List In Mardi Gras Board Campaign
Image: Image: Photo: Star Observer (L) & Mardi Gras/Facebook (R) ALP (Centre)
The Australian Labor Party have allegedly responded to a complaint about the ‘misuse’ of a Labor Party email list by the Protect Mardi Gras campaign.
It is alleged that Protect Mardi Gras candidate Savanna Peake used a campaign account to send emails for her candidacy for a seat on the Mardi Gras board.
The news follows the continued public campaign between Protect Mardi Gras and Pride In Protest to secure seats on the Mardi Gras board.
Complaint made over Mardi Gras board mail out
Gay Sydney News have released details over the weekend of alleged email conversations between a complainant and Mardi Gras board candidate Savanna Peake and the Australian Labor Party. The complaints allege that Peake used her email list from her campaign for the seat of Wentworth for the ALP to send campaign material for her candidacy.
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In a series of emails which the publication reportedly have sighted, they state that an anonymous member of the public, who was not a Mardi Gras member at the time allegedly received a campaign email from Peake about her candidacy for the board.
The complainant allegedly contacted Mardi Gras to confirm they had not supplied his email address, which they confirmed and in an email to Peake stated “I can only assume that you have obtained my personal information through NSW Labor when you were a candidate for Wentworth.”
It is alleged that after two emails Peake replied clarifying “I have a contact list which I continue to communicate with and it is the Wentworth list,” she wrote. “I have had this since running for Labor during my campaign and continue to use it to keep in touch with members” also confirming the list was used to help remain engaged and offering to unsubscribe the person from the list.
Following this the anonymous complainant allegedly reached out to NWS Labor to air their grievances, sharing a response from officials stating “that the data provided for the purpose of campaigning on behalf of the ALP was to be used solely for that electoral context” adding it “should have been destroyed once its intended purpose had concluded” clarifying that “under no circumstances should it have been used for any third-party purposes.”
“We regret that Savanna chose to use the data in this way and we apologise for the misuse of your contact information.”
The Star Observer have reached out to Ms Peake and NSW Labor for comment, but at the time of publication have not received a response.
However Peter Stahel, cofounder of Protect Mardi Gras spoke to The Star Observer about the alleged emails.
“I haven’t seen the email or the anonymous complaint about it, but I have seen passionate campaigners including Savanna speak to thousands of people over the course of campaigns and community work. She has been working hard in the community to get her message out there” he said.
“I’m confident that the community will see through this anonymous complaint and any potential email mistakes behind it as the minor distraction it is. Savanna has a great story to tell about how inclusion wins progress and great governance experience to make Mardi Gras sustainable. I’ve been really impressed with how she has responded with grace and humility in the face of all the nasty attacks online and remained focused on the positives.”
Stahel instead encouraged greater focus on the candidates in the ongoing campaign for the board positions.
“It would be great to see more focus on the credentials of the candidates. I encourage members to get engaged and learn about the candidates positions and experience. When people don’t have substantive arguments that work they can sometimes resort to playing the person, searching for attacks and angles and any minor leverage they can find. – that’s sad but also not unexpected.”
“We started Protect Mardi Gras because we believe that As a community we need to be able to disagree about things and still stand together. Inclusion is not a reward for doing a good job – it’s an invitation to walk with us and learn and be more powerful together.”
Comments published by Gay Sydney News attributed to Pride In Protest over the matter state “If the ALP is disciplining their own candidate, it raises genuine questions about the tactics of Protect Mardi Gras.”
“How low will Protect Mardi Gras stoop to chase votes?”
“After seeing the ways Protect Mardi Gras have used their data during this election, it would be very understandable for Mardi Gras members to have concerns about their privacy.”
Ongoing privacy concerns during Mardi Gras campaign
This story follows recent reports about privacy during the ongoing campaign for the Mardi Gras board positions.
Last week LGBTQ+ groups were calling for a public apology after a young queer person was outed when a letter, sent as part of the Mardi Gras director campaign, was sent to their home.
20-year-old university student Sophie*, who lives at home with her parents, was sent election materials for the upcoming Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Annual General Meeting.
Savanna Peake has since apologised over the incident at the Protect Mardi Gras campaign launch last week at The Stonewall Hotel.
“I’ve heard that this mail-out may have inadvertently harmed a young person who was vulnerable and outed them to their family,” she said at the time.
“I wanted to take tonight to personally apologise and sincerely recognise that that was never my intention.”
The upcoming Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Annual General Meeting is scheduled for Sunday November 29.
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