The Canberra Liberals have been caught breaching territory regulations for the placement of advertising after dozens of election campaign posters were tied to street lights in south Canberra.
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Territory and Municipal Services rangers impounded 30 Canberra Liberals signs that had been displayed along roads in Lanyon at the weekend, in breach of the ACT Code of Practice for removable signs.
The code states that signs are not permitted at locations including roundabouts, median strips, traffic lights or street lights or on nature strips.
The party will have to pay the directorate $112 per sign for the return of the posters, which advertised their candidates for the October election, including leader Zed Seselja. A Liberal Party campaign spokesman said candidates tried to make sure they followed the regulations and ''if there is a misplacement of a sign, that is regrettable.''
But ACT Labor said the Liberals had been caught out again ''blatantly and arrogantly breaching rules''.
Last month, Canberra Liberals MLAs Alistair Coe and Vicki Dunne were ordered to repay thousands of dollars spent on political brochures, after they were found to have misused public money to fund their election campaigns.
A TAMS spokesman said a complaint had also been made about the location of Canberra Liberals advertising in Charnwood at the weekend and the directorate had spoken to a party representative in that suburb.
The spokesman said the Code of Practice was given to the Electoral Commission to distribute to candidates and was published on the TAMS website.
But he said it was not unusual to see the rules broken at election time.
''It's not like this hasn't happened in previous years,'' he said.
''Particularly as we get close to the election, there might have to be other signage that's taken down if it doesn't conform.
''We'll take it down whether it's Liberal, Labor, Green, independent.''
The spokesman said there had been no complaints so far about campaign material for candidates from the other major parties.
''The Code of Practice has been set up to ensure public safety and amenity,'' he said.
''It's a cost for rangers to have to go out and pick up the signs.''
The Liberal Party campaign spokesman did not say if the party was aware it was breaching the regulations by putting the signs on street lights.
The spokesman also did not say if candidates were informed of where they could and could not advertise.
ACT Labor Secretary Elias Hallaj said the party reminded all of its candidates to abide by the regulations. ''I'm really disappointed once again to see the Liberal Party blatantly and arrogantly breaching rules,'' he said.