Editing Push poll (section)

=== {{anchor|Political push polls: [[Australia]]}} Australia ===
In March 2011, [[The Daily Telegraph (Sydney)|''The Daily Telegraph'']] reported that the [[Australian Labor Party]] was referred to the [[New South Wales]] Electoral Commission after it was alleged to have used "push polling" in Newcastle to discredit independent candidate [[John Stuart Tate]]. Labor Party officials employed a market research firm to conduct the polling, telling voters that Tate was the Labor mayor of Newcastle when in fact he was not. It has been suggested that Labor was worried its brand was so damaged in one of its traditional seats that it branded the popular independent as one of its own to discredit him. Labor polling firm Fieldworks Market Research admitted to the ''Telegraph'' that the script used when calling voters branded Tate a "Labor" candidate, but said the Labor Party provided the script.<ref>Benson, Simon (March 16, 2011). Labor accused of smear candidate's name. http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/labor-accused-of-smear-candidates-name/story-fn6b3v4f-1226022099138</ref> It is not publicly known whether the Electoral Commission responded to this referral.