Luke Simpkins (Cowan, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I welcome this opportunity to speak today on the Electoral and Referendum Amendment (Close of Rolls and Other Measures) Bill (No. 2) 2010, the Electoral and Referendum Amendment (Pre-poll Voting and Other Measures) Bill 2010, the Electoral and Referendum Amendment (Modernisation and Other Measures) Bill 2010 and the Electoral and Referendum Amendment (How-to-Vote Cards and Other Measures) Bill 2010, regarding changes to the Electoral Act. I, like all members, enjoy the opportunity in my electorate of Cowan in Western Australia to speak to young people in the high schools and primary schools about the importance of our great democracy. I think we have a claim to say that this is the greatest country in the world. We definitely want to keep it that way. That is why the Electoral Act is such an important element of our great democracy. Among the young people in this country, particularly those in Cowan, I see many who are keen to be part of that process once they turn 18. I have been to many schools where young people have told me, ‘I’m still 17 but I have already done my provisional enrolment.’ I welcome that.

As I recall, the member for O’Connor said earlier, in referring to the Electoral Act, that it is the law for someone to enrol within 21 days of becoming eligible. They should enrol then and if they do not, that constitutes an offence. The obligation on citizens of this country to enrol from the age of 18 is important. I really do wonder what is the story behind this weakening of the laws. Basically the government wants to say to the Australian people: ‘You don’t have to enrol. You don’t have to comply with the law which says that you have to enrol within 21 days of becoming eligible. In fact, we will make it even easier to not comply with the law by saying that you have until seven days after the calling of the election to enrol.’ It is rather an odd situation that we have a law but we do not want to follow that law. I wonder whether the government should change that law as well so that it is no longer an offence to not enrol within 21 days of becoming eligible to enrol, but rather that it should be an offence if you have not enrolled within seven days after the calling of the election. There is an inconsistency there. Others have passed comment on exactly why it is the case that the government seems so keen to disregard one law and let this seven-day business come into being.

As others have said, there is a great history in this country of fraud and rorting of the electoral system. I would not suppose to say that it was hugely widespread, but there is a consistency about the side that is so often involved with these matters. A case in Queensland has been referred to previously where a 16-year-old member of Young Labor was very pleased that she had voted 14 times in an election.

See this speech in context