Newly-elected Port Hedland Councillor-elect and Former Great Australia Party Candidate Adrian McRae has Appeared in a Bizarre Video on Russian State-owned TV, Congratulating Vladimir Putin on his Election Victory
Newly-elected Port Hedland councillor-elect and former Great Australia Party candidate Adrian McRae has appeared in a bizarre video on Russian state-owned TV, congratulating Vladimir Putin on his election victory and hailing it as the most transparent in the world.
Mr McRae, who was elected to the Town of Port Hedland council earlier this month and is yet to be sworn in, flew to Russia to participate as an election scrutineer after being invited by Russian Ambassador to Australia Aleksey Pavlovsky.
Post-election, footage published by Channel One State News showed Mr McRae, the former Great Australia Party candidate for Durack in the 2022 election, congratulating Russian President Vladimir Putin on his victory.
Speaking to the North West Telegraph from Russia, Mr McRae said he could “write for hours” on why he saw the election process as “the most ridiculously over-the-top transparency.”
“Having run as a candidate in both Australian Federal and Local Government elections, as well as volunteering as a scrutineer for national elections and referendums, I was truly shocked by Russia’s transparency.”
“It leaves the Australian system in its wake.”
Town of Port Hedland chief executive Carl Askew said Mr McRae was travelling in a personal capacity.
“The Town does not comment on the personal activities of Elected Members,” he said.
“All Elected Members are subject to the Town’s Code of Conduct.”
Post-election, images surfaced of Mr McRae receiving an award from Russian Presidential opposition candidate Sergey Baburin, which Sydney-based Sputnik News, a Russian-owned news platform, correspondent Simeon Boikov said was “for his efforts in strengthening friendship between Australia and Russia”.
Mr McRae did not respond to questions surrounding the death and imprisonment of Mr Putin’s political adversaries, and whether it had any impact on his perception of transparent and fair elections.
