Professor Brian Costar from Swinburne University of Technology said the signs that advertise projects funded under the stimulus program would be too close to polling booths when the schools were used for voting.

The signs are on school fences but would have to be 6m away from the school property line under the relevant legislation, he said.

The Federal Government has ordered schools to keep the signs up until March, 2011, by which time the federal election and several state elections will have been held.

However, embarrassingly for the Government, the Australian Electoral Commission ruled this week that the signs must carry a message saying they were authorised by the Government.

For more, pick up a copy of today's Canberra Times