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<\/p>\nThe Liberal Party registered one dead person and two ex-members as preselectors in a key Victorian electorate, raising party governance and potential fraud concerns ahead of the state election.<\/p>\n
Ripon, a key regional electorate taking in Ararat and Clunes in western Victoria, is held by Labor on a margin of 2.7 per cent.<\/p>\n
While One Nation has yet to announce a candidate, Liberal candidate Megan Read, Nationals’ Jo Armstrong and Labor’s Martha Haylett have started campaigning across the electorate.<\/p>\n
However, a spreadsheet recording contact details of Liberal preselectors for Ripon, dated June last year and obtained by the ABC, shows at least three people registered to vote were ineligible.<\/p>\n
This includes Liberal member John Stokes who died in September. His wife, Arvon, said the phone had been ringing non-stop ahead of the June vote as prospective candidates sought his support.<\/p>\n
“I’m not a member,” she said.<\/p>\n
“I have actually spoken to Dan Tehan about it. He’s a friend. He was horrified. He’s not happy at all.”<\/p>\n
Mr Tehan referred questions to the Liberal Party, which did not respond to questions, but issued a short statement.<\/p>\n
“Following the withdrawal of a candidate a new preselection was held in June this year,” a Liberal Party spokesperson said.<\/p>\n
Two former Liberal members, Nicholas Healey and John Ternel, were also listed on the preselector spreadsheet. In columns titled eligible and RSVP, both were listed as “TRUE” and “Accepted” respectively.<\/p>\n
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This leaked Liberal spreadsheet shows two ex-members and one dead person were registered to vote in the Ripon preselection.<\/p>\n
The ABC reported in May<\/a> that the Liberal Party had falsely announced Mr Ternel had died after he had resigned from the party.<\/p>\n Despite this, Mr Ternel received an email from the Liberal Party last month notifying him that he had “been selected to be a delegate to attend the Ripon Preselection Convention” at the Avoca Turf Club on June 24.<\/p>\n He told the ABC that he did not respond, but less than an hour later, emails show he received a confirmation email stating he had been registered as a preselector and was then was sent brochures about the candidates and said he received at least three phone calls.<\/p>\n John Ternel received a message confirming his registration despite not having confirmed his attendance. (Supplied)<\/p>\n “It was well known I was no longer a member of the Liberal Party,” Mr Ternel said.<\/p>\n “When I was talking to the candidates, they said, ‘Aren’t you the guy who died?'”<\/p>\n A Liberal source close to the Ripon campaign, who declined to be named so they could discuss party matters, said the preselection vote was originally scheduled for December but had been plagued by delays.<\/p>\n “We lost six months,” they said. “It’s frustrating for the locals.”<\/p>\n The person said that members who should be eligible to vote were told they were unable to and they raised concerns about integrity of the preselections across the state.<\/p>\n “Someone who’s dead [who has] allegedly said he’s coming to vote, two are no longer party members,” said one person close to the preselection.<\/p>\n “Alarm bells started to ring.”<\/p>\n Do you know more?Contact Charlotte Grieve via charlotte.d.grieve@proton.me<\/a>If you require more secure communication, please choose an option on the confidential tips page<\/a><\/p>\n Associate Professor at Deakin University’s parliamentary research unit Ken Coghill said inaccurate preselection lists reflected poor party governance.<\/p>\n “It’s really important to have a comprehensive, accurate list that has been checked thoroughly before any preselection goes ahead,” he said.<\/p>\n “It means there’s a possibility of some fraud in cases like that.\u00a0<\/p>\n “It leaves it open to the risk of fraudulent process.”<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/818a4a829b0faf5a2a0ea728b6d507b5.png\")
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