This election’s consistent comedy candidate is Liberal hopeful Chris Jermyn, a former Young Liberal heavy hitter who is gunning for the seat of McEwen.
Without putting too fine a point on it, it’s safe to say that the bloke has done well. The seat was considered a marginal before a series of Jermynesque blunders which may confirm it as a Labor hold until the heat death of the universe. First, he failed spectacularly in trying to ambush Bill Shorten at a presser. Then it was revealed he was the mastermind behind a multi-million dollar online photography competition which crashed and burned like the Hindenberg.
Now, The Sydney Morning Herald has revealed that he may have broken electoral laws by claiming he lived in the electorate of McEwen in 2013 when he actually lived in Melbourne, in the electorate of Melbourne Ports. The property he claimed to live in as per the electoral roll was an empty block of land, and remains so.
According to the SMH, “ASIC documents also show Mr Jermyn’s father, businessman Peter Jermyn, sold the 99-acre property on July 26, 2013, about six weeks before the federal election.”
How did the sleuths at the SMH work out where he lived? Well, Jermyn at some point was a fan of expressing his displeasure for the myriad failings of his local food outlets via Facebook.
In 2013, Jermyn was allegedly living out in McEwen. So why’s he complaining about a midnight wagyu beef pizza in Prahran? That’s what got the regular Sherlocks over at Fairfax thinking.
The SMH also referenced his post on the wall of a restaurant called Focaccia as evidence, but it looks like they fell short here – the restaurant is actually in the Philippines. That said, it’s an extremely funny comment so you should read it anyway:
Lying or making false statements on the electoral roll is a criminal offence with a maximum penalty of 12 months in prison. Let this be a lesson to you all: never post.
Source: The Sydney Morning Herald.
Photo: Facebook.
