A teenage boy has been charged after he allegedly punched an elderly man outside a polling booth in Sydney’s inner west.
Emergency services were called to an early voting centre at Ashfield Town Hall on Liverpool Road about 1pm on Wednesday, following reports of an assault outside.
A 79-year-old man was treated by paramedics for head injuries after he was allegedly punched, and was taken to the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital where he remains in a serious condition.
Police arrested the boy at the scene.
He was charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm after he was taken to Burwood Police Station.
Police have said the pair were not known to each other.
The boy was refused bail and is expected to appear in a children’s court on Thursday.
Authorities are appealing to the public for any information relating to the incident.
An Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) spokesperson said the incident did not involve any AEC staff.
“The AEC is aware of this incident,” the spokesperson said.
“Voting operations are continuing at the pre-poll voting centre in Ashfield.”
Violence is never acceptable, but the boy was defending volunteers. Here is the context: “A 79-year-old man wearing a Make America Great Again (MAGA) hat was said to have become aggressive towards a volunteer handing out how-to-vote cards when he was asked not to deface an Albanese corflute he’d approached.”
The man was obviously an a**ehole.