Photographer : Christine-o @flickr
In June 2006, the Electoral and Referendum Amendment Bill passed through federal parliament. It came into effect on 13 April 2007, and will apply to all state and federal elections from now on. The changes include:
- People enrolling to vote will have until 8:00pm on the day of the writ to enrol or update enrolment details. A writ is a document that contains information like dates for the close of rolls, the close of nominations, and the polling day.
- You must have current proof of identity (driver’s license, proof of age card), in order to enrol or update enrolment details.
- If you don’t have proof of identity, you must have your enrolment form signed by two people who are already enrolled, have known you for more than a month, and are not related to you!
- There is also going to be a change in the privacy of donations to political parties. Gifts and donations of up to $10,000 do not have to be made public.
What was the old system?
So what was it like before these changes came into place?
- People enrolling to vote had seven working days after the issues of the writ to lodge their enrolment details and changes.
- You still needed current identification to enrol, but witnesses could be family members or relatives.
- Donations to political parties had to be made public if the amount was over $1,500.
Who does it affect?
Young voters—most young people don’t think about enrolling until the last minute. Things like studying for the HSC, uni placements, looking for jobs, and studying for assessments are higher on the priority list.
Australians overseas—limited access to polling booths and the internet for enrolment.
Australians that live in remote areas (Indigenous communities, mining communities, and other rural townships)—limited access to enrolment and election facilities, as well as limited social networks if they need witnesses for enrolment.
New Australian citizens—might not know many people outside of their families so it will be harder to get witnesses for enrolment.
Anyone who is enrolling and voting for the first time!
What’s the reason for it?
The Howard government says that the amendments to the electoral system were to combat voting fraud.
There have only been a few cases of fraud in the last decade. In 1997, Mike Kaiser (member for Woodridge) was found guilty of committing enrolment fraud by voting multiple times using his old and new addresses. In 2000, Joan Budd was found to be casting illegal votes for her husband John, member for Redlands. Finally, Karen Ehrmann (Townsville Labor candidate) was sentenced to nine months in jail for electoral fraud and the forgery of party membership slips.
Another reason for the electoral changes is the enrolment blitz for the federal election in 2004. In the seven days after the writ was submitted, around 400,000 people enrolled, re-enrolled, or changed their enrolment details. So, the government see the changes as relieving the strain on the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC), by encouraging Australians to not leave enrolment until the last moment.
What are the objections to it?
The Labor Party believes the changes to voting will discourage young people from the voting process, making it harder for them to exercise their democratic rights. According to Labor, reducing the enrolment deadlines will not only make the AEC work harder, but will cause long queues, confusion, delays in results, and affect over 250,000 voters.
The Greens say that “the greatest catalyst for enrolment is an electoral event” (Senate Official Hansard, 2006), so why would you limit the time for people to enrol when an election is called?
They have also addressed the changes to the public disclosure of donations, stating that large donations which aren’t made public can be a factor in buying political influence, and may encourage fraud and corruption instead of deterring it.
Democrat Senator Andrew Bartlett points out that the new amendments will impact Indigenous and remote communities severely. They’re view is that for someone living in a remote area with no formal proof of identity, and the only people they know are their family, it could be very difficult to enrol.
The Youth Action and Policy Association (YAPA) say that 56% of 18 year olds enrolled correctly to vote, however they waited right until the last minute to enrol. People aged 18-24 have the lowest enrolment numbers out of any age group.
How to be prepared?
So, if you’re enrolling for the first time and want to vote in the upcoming federal election, make sure to enrol early and enrol right. Otherwise you might miss out on making sure your voice is heard and you vote counts!
How do I know this?
AEC annual report 2006
http://www.aec.gov.au/_content/what/
publications/annual_report/2006/index.htm
Youth Action and Policy Association
http://www.yapa.org.au/yapa/policy/electoral.php
Senate: Standing Committee on Finance and Public Administration, “Electoral and Referendum Legislation Amendment Bill 2006”
http://www.aph.gov.au/Senate/committee/
fapa_ctte/electoral_referendum/index.htm
Senate Official Hansard, Parliamentary Debates no. 5 (June 16, 2006).
http://www.aph.gov.au/hansard/senate/dailys/ds160606.pdf
Senate Official Hansard, Parliamentary Debates no. 6
(June 19, 2006).
http://www.aph.gov.au/hansard/senate/dailys/ds190606.pdf
