Crucially, they didn’t include any authorisation identifying who was behind the campaign, which is illegal under Australian electoral law.

The AEC released a statement today alleging that the man responsible for the pamphlets is Jarrod Davis.

The commission claimed he spent around $17,500 printing and distributing them.

This legal action in the Federal Court accuses the individual, Davis, of violating the Commonwealth Electoral Act by neglecting to provide his name and address on the distributed pamphlets.

“Australia’s democracy is highly regarded globally for its integrity, a key aspect of which is allowing voters to know the sources of electoral advertising through proper authorisation,” stated Electoral Commissioner Jeff Pope.

“The AEC takes cases involving the complete absence of authorisation information and its widespread dissemination particularly seriously.”

Failing to properly authorise election material can attract a fine of up to $39,600 per offence. 

The AEC has not said what penalty, if any, it will seek against Davis.

Alarm about the pamphlets was first raised on April 21 – a day before early voting in the federal election began.

Two days afterward, the AEC disclosed that it had traced the individual responsible for the pamphlets. They had secured a commitment from him to cease distribution of these unauthorized materials during the election campaign, although Davis was not publicly named at that time.

Spender went on to comfortably retain her seat at the election.