An apparent media release circulated on Monday purporting to be from a body called the Victorian Housing Action Network referenced a speech by Victorian state Labor MP Danny Pearson in 2017 in which he stated his personal support for death duties of 5 per cent.
The email appeared to impersonate Essential Media,a major left-aligned communications and research firm,by using the email address"essentialmedia@iinet.com.au". It called on Mr Shorten to"disown and rule out"death taxes,which he has already done.
Essential Media handles communications for the Everybody's Home campaign,a coalition of groups pushing for greater action on affordable housing.
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Major players in housing policy said they had never heard of the"Victorian Housing Action Network"nor its alleged contact person,Sally Kellerman,who shares the name of an 81-year-old American actress.
Michael Fotheringham,executive director of the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute,said he was unaware of such an organisation or person,as did Kate Colvin,who has worked on housing and homelessness policy for 15 years.
There were no Google search results for Ms Kellerman and her so-called action network,and the supplied mobile phone number rang out to an unidentified voicemail system.