Elsie Lange
Liberal McEwen candidate Richard Welch has been cleared of accusations of enrolment fraud following an Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) investigation, and will not be referred to the Australian Federal Police.
Last week, Star Weekly reported the Labor Party had written to the AEC asking for an investigation into Mr Welch’s nominated address of a leased property in Wallan.
In the correspondence, Victorian Labor state secretary Chris Ford said he understood Mr Welch updated his enrolment to an address in Wallan “some time before he nominated as the Liberal candidate on 16 April”.
Mr Ford said he found it “difficult – if not impossible – to believe that Mr Welch’s rental property in the electorate of McEwen was ever his permanent place of residence”.
In a statement on Friday, May 20, the AEC said it had investigated the matter and “at this point it is our view that there is insufficient evidence of enrolment fraud or false declarations to support referring any of them to the AFP”.
Mr Welch denied the claim and said he “firmly complied with AEC electoral laws and strongly reject[ed] any suggestion otherwise”.
“At the time of signing and lodging my nomination form I was living in Wallan,” Mr Welch said.
“Subsequently, I moved after my lease was terminated early when the house I was residing in was sold.
“It is not possible to update your electoral enrolment details until you have lived at an address for at least one month,” he said.
