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🇦🇺 Australia /Elections & Politics

'A direct political attack job': MP lashes anti-abortion campaigner

From ABC Australia · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Sources not specified Context piece
  • Anti-abortion campaigner Joanna Howe used aggressive tactics to confront Labor MP Nat Cook outside a polling booth during the South Australian election.
  • Howe's campaign, backed by right-wing figures, involved filming Cook and later creating a political attack ad that went viral, despite Howe declaring no campaign expenditure.
  • The incident highlights Howe's use of MAGA-style campaigning and significant online spending to influence political outcomes, leading to police being called.

Two days before the South Australian election, Labor MP Nat Cook faced a confrontational encounter at her pre-poll booth with Joanna Howe, a prominent anti-abortion campaigner. Howe, accompanied by her teenage daughter filming the interaction, approached Cook with pointed questions, escalating the situation to the point where Cook called for police assistance.

I'm being harassed out here!

— Nat CookThe Labor MP's reaction as anti-abortion campaigner Joanna Howe approached her with a microphone outside a polling booth.

Howe, known for her distinctive orange top and heels, accused Cook of supporting "full-term abortion" and "killing babies up to birth." Electoral staff intervened, escorting Howe and her daughter out of the building. The incident was quickly turned into a political attack advertisement by Howe, shared on her social media platforms. The ad claimed Labor was "authoritarian and anti-free speech" and supported "full-term abortion."

Call the police, please!

— Nat CookThe Labor MP's plea to electoral staff as campaigner Joanna Howe continued her confrontation.

The videos, which have garnered over 800,000 views, are part of Howe's broader campaign strategy. Over the nine-month disclosure period of the election, Howe spent more than $219,000 on Meta platforms, with nearly $34,000 specifically targeting voters and MPs in South Australia. Despite this significant expenditure, Howe declared zero in political campaign costs to the electoral commission, raising questions about transparency and campaign finance.

Excuse me, you're not allowed to be here. Go, or I'll report you.

— Electoral officerThe electoral officer's instruction to Joanna Howe during the confrontation outside the polling booth.
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Originally published by ABC Australia. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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