BRITISH backpackers were hired and paid by the Palmer United Party (PUP) to hand out election material for Saturday's election.
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Six backpackers were hired in Dubbo and another six for the Parkes electorate's 108 other polling booths, the PUP candidate Neil Gorman said yesterday.
The decision by the Palmer United Party to use the backpackers to hand out how to vote material at pooling booths in Dubbo was a serious change in attitude to election days, the Member for Parkes, Mark Coulton said.
It is believed the Englishmen were recruited with advertisements on Gumtree and were offered $100 cash for manning the booths from 8am to 3pm.
"If this is the trend, to try and buy a seat - and that looks like what Clive Palmer will do - its a very sad thing," Mr Coulton said.
"This is the first time we've had paid people on the booths, it's something I have real concerns about."
He said the foundation of his successful campaign was the 1000 or so volunteers who helped man the 106 booths in the Parkes electorate.
"These are volunteers from every community doing what they believe in," he said.
"A very small part of my job is being in the national spotlight.
"Eighty per cent of my job is dealing with issues at a local level.
"Do you mean to tell me Clive [Palmer] is going to sit down and help someone with their visa application?"
Mr Coulton said to be involved with different communities in his electorate was a great honour.
This was also a reason why bids to move to electronic voting from remote computers should be resisted, he said.
"The person with the biggest chequebook and the slickest media campaign could be the winner.
"We'd end up with a mob of celebrities in Parliament."
Palmer United Party candidate Neil Gorman said since the party had only been formed on april 25 he had needed to use the backpackers to distribute his electoral material. Mr Gorman, who was delighted to collect 7.6 per cent of the vote.
"I think I got the second or third highest vote for the party in NSW," he said.
"It's all right for Mark [Coulton] he is a candidate for a party more than 100 years old.
Mr Gorman said the party hired six backpackers for the booths in Dubbo and six more backpackers to work in the rest of the 108 booths in the electorate.