Advance Australia, Canberra Liberals both engaged Whitestone Strategic in 2022 federal election campaign against David Pocock

The Canberra Liberals have long insisted they have no affiliation with the firebrand group of hard right activists, despite both groups sharing a common cause and former staff members.

The Canberra Times can reveal the Liberals and Advance Australia share another link - the election campaigning services of a former well-known Canberra Liberal, who promotes his firm as having "decades of experience winning Australian conservative campaigns".

Data released by the Australian Electoral Commission on Wednesday shows the Canberra Liberals engaged the services of Whitestone Strategic, a conservative campaigning consultancy group, in its campaign to save Mr Seselja from electoral defeat by former Wallabies star David Pocock.

The Canberra Liberals still owed the firm nearly $32,000 at the end of June last year, electoral documents show. The debt has since been repaid.

The boutique consultancy firm is also listed as a page manager for Advance Australia's Facebook page - a role it shares with US Christian marketing company, Dunham+Company.

Mr Seselja, once a junior minister in the former Coalition government, was ousted from the upper house by Senator Pocock in a shock upset, leaving the Liberals without an ACT representative in federal parliament for the first time in decades.

Advance Australia, who maintains it is entirely independent of any political party, campaigned heavily against Senator Pocock, calling him "an extreme Green" and accusing him of being an undercover member of the Greens.

The group also arranged robocalls days before polling day urging ACT voters for Zed Seselja and describing a vote for David Pocock as a "risk".

"I'm sorry we missed you this time, but please remember when you head to the polls, anything other than a vote for Zed Seselja and the Liberals in the Senate is a vote for a weak Green government," the message from a person named "Shelly from Advance Australia" said.

A spokesperson for the Canberra Liberals confirmed it had used Whitestone Strategic's campaigning services during the federal election period but ruled out any links to Advance Australia.

"The Canberra Liberals are not associated with Advance Australia. Any clients of Whitestone Strategic are a matter for them as a private sector business," the spokesperson said.

"Whitestone Strategic were engaged to consult on the 2022 federal election campaign."

The spokesperson did not address questions about what services Whitestone Strategic provided Mr Seselja's campaign, what the total cost of the services were or whether the Canberra Liberals were aware of the firm's election campaign work with Advance Australia.

The consultancy firm has strong ties to the Liberal Party's Canberra wing.

Its sole director, Steve Doyle, is a family member and former staff member of Mr Seselja and was once heavily involved in the Canberra Liberals.

Mr Doyle served as Mr Seselja's chief-of-staff while he was ACT opposition leader in the early 2010s, and remains his "good friend" and brother-in-law.

His firm, Whitestone Strategic, retains administration rights over Advance Australia's Facebook page, as it did during the election, and was given at least $23,605 in 2019-20 for its services to the group.

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Mr Seselja previously told The Canberra Times during the election period he had no oversight of Mr Doyle's commercial agreements with Advance Australia but did not add he was also a client of Whitestone Strategic.

"I am not privy to [Mr Doyle's] commercial agreements," the senator said.

Mr Doyle's firm has been involved in other election campaigns across the country, describing itself as a "conservative campaign consultancy" group "fighting the good fight".

"We help you take control of strategy, digital, fundraising and field," Whitestone Strategic's website reads.

"Put the hard-earned lessons from dozens of state and territory, federal and national values-based advocacy campaigns to work for you."

Whitestone Strategic is listed as having donated $263,483 to the Northern Territory's Country Liberal Party during the 2022 federal election period.

Jacinta Nampijinpa Price, a former spokesperson for Advance Australia, was elected as a Country Liberal senator for the Northern Territory.

Senator Price has featured in a number of Advance Australia's social media ads against the Voice to Parliament since being elected.

NSW Electoral Commission documents show Whitestone Strategic was also engaged by the Christian Democratic Party for the 2019 NSW state election.

It received more than $90,000 for various services during 2018 and 2019, including Facebook advertising and work on voter databases.

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