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An 18-month investigation into voter fraud at the 2013 Indi election has ended with prosecutors withdrawing charges against two Cathy McGowan supporters.
Maggie McGowan, 27, and Sophie Fuchsen, 24, had been charged by the Australian Federal Police with giving false or misleading information on their Australian Electoral Commission enrollment.
They had both switched their enrolments from a Melbourne to an address in Indi.
But their defence argued it was legal because Indi remained their home base while they studied – a rule stated on the AEC website.
Prosecutor Kathy Piechutewska withdrew the charges in Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday.
Ms McGowan, the niece of the Indi MP, called the result a “vindication” after a “shameful political exercise”.
“Indigo Valley, the farm that I grew up on and returned to many weekends and holidays, was my home in 2013 – I will always consider it to be my home,” she said.
“These baseless allegations should never have gone as far as they have … my friends and family were interviewed by police, my honesty and integrity was questioned in newspaper articles, my name was brought into disrepute.”
Speaking outside court, McGowan’s solicitor, Rob Stary, called the investigation a “terrible waste of resources” from both the AFP and prosecutors.
“I’m not sure who the original complainant in this case was against two students in the seat of Indi, but it was a scurrilous complaint,” he said.