In this Moreland election campaign there will be 20 candidates running in Northeast Ward, 18 in Northwest Ward and 12 in South Ward. There will be 2 Greens in each ward, and overall, about two-thirds of candidates will be genuine. But about a third will be dummies. What is a dummy? A dummy is a person who pretends to run as an independent, but is actually a tool of a political party. A dummy's function is to gull voters who prefer "independents" to members of political parties. These people vote for the "independent", who then funnels preferences on to a political party.

How do you know if someone is a dummy? If they suddenly appear at an election without any previous record of community activism, they could be a dummy. If you phone them and you get a "no number" signal, or you don't get a return call to your voicemail, they could be a dummy. If you ask them about their policies and they waffle or clam up, they may be a dummy. Genuine independents are usually quite passionate and coherent as to why they are standing for Council. And if they preference a political party over other independents, they may well be a dummy.

If you have voted for someone thinking that they are a genuine independent, and they get elected, and then, a week or two later suddenly "join" a political party, you have been conned.

The Greens abhor the practice of dummying. It is false, deceitful and undemocratic. Don't vote for a dummy on November 29 - pick a candidate with real policies and a real vision for Moreland.