Liberal East Hills MP Glenn Brookes has been accused in Parliament of bringing the electoral process into disrepute after his rival Labor candidate was branded a "paedophile lover" during the NSW election campaign.
The claim comes as a video emerged apparently showing the victim of the alleged slurs, Labor candidate Cameron Murphy, angrily confronting Liberal staffer Jim Daniel during the campaign over the alleged theft of his campaign posters.
Just days before the March election, 300 of Mr Murphy's posters were defaced with stickers declaring him a "paedophile lover", a person who believes in the rights of child rapists or simply saying "stranger danger" or "our children are not safe".
Mr Murphy was awarded the Order of Australia in 2014 for his contribution to human rights and is the son of former Labor federal attorney general and former High Court judge Lionel Murphy.
He narrowly lost East Hills to Mr Brookes, the Liberal incumbent, following the smear campaign.
Labor MP Lynda Voltz this month named Mr Brookes' staffer Jim Daniel as the man behind the campaign.
In Parliament on Wednesday, Ms Voltz outlined breaches of electoral laws she claimed were committed by Mr Brookes.
They include the alleged distribution by Mr Daniel of illegal leaflets attempting to damage Mr Murphy, and an email allegedly sent from Mr Brookes' parliamentary email account to journalists and community groups, attacking his Labor rival.
Ms Voltz alleged to Parliament that Mr Brookes' business, Sydney Signs, provided vehicles and signs for the campaign which have not been declared as an election donation.
She said a Sydney Signs vehicle driven by Mr Daniel was used "for the illegal and unauthorised removal of [the] Labor candidate's A-frames from local shopping precincts".
A video obtained by Fairfax Media appears to show a confrontation between Mr Daniel and Mr Murphy immediately following that alleged incident.
Mr Murphy approaches Mr Daniel and an associate, who are sitting in a truck, saying "I saw you pick up my A-frames [posters] … you know it's my A-frame. It's got my photo on it. You put it in the back of your truck with all the Glenn Brookes A-frames.
"What am I supposed to think when I see it, Jim? … you shouldn't be stealing other people's A-frames."
Mr Daniel's reply is barely audible, but he appears to deny the allegation, saying at one point "we didn't touch one of them".
Mr Murphy then picks up his posters, which he told Fairfax Media were retrieved from the truck earlier, and leaves the scene.
NSW Police confirmed they received a report about the incident.
Mr Brookes has not responded to request for comment.
Mr Daniel, who is also a Liberal Bankstown councillor, said the emergence of the video and Ms Voltz's comments were "just another attempt to reheat issues previously raised and dealt with".
Asked in April if he was involved in the smear campaign, Mr Daniel said "absolutely not … we are not that stupid".
During the campaign, Mr Daniel's wife, Jessica, wrote on Facebook: "I wouldn't vote for Murphy. He protects child sex offenders and rapists."
The police and the NSW Electoral Commission are investigating the East Hills incidents.
Mr Murphy declined to comment on the video or Ms Voltz's remarks. He said the tight deadline for lodging disputes over the election result did not "allow these things to be properly investigated".
In Parliament Ms Voltz said Mr Brookes should be condemned "for his actions and those of his campaign team during the 2015 NSW state election that have brought the electoral process into disrepute".
Mr Brookes also garnered controversy during the campaign when he produced water bottles bearing his face and the Liberal Party logo, and distributed them to cafes across the electorate – a move Labor said contravened electoral laws.
