Gary Gray (Brand, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Public Service and Integrity) Share this | Hansard source

I can assure the shadow minister that those questions which I do not answer in my remarks to follow will be answered directly to her in a documentary form. Specifically, you asked about the use of the electoral roll update mechanisms in Petrie. I am not aware of that. The bills are yet to go through the Senate and may not pass through the Senate, so I cannot see how the Electoral Commission would have done that, but I am certainly prepared to seek that advice because, as I say, I expect that debate to be brought on this evening and dealt with in the course of the next few days of Senate sitting time.

Specifically, you asked about the integrity of lists and referred to the tax file numbers. The issue which the Electoral Commissioner grapples with is the identified fact that there are, we believe, 1.5 million or thereabouts Australians not on the roll who should be on the roll. We would have a simple difference of opinion, I believe. My view and, I hope, the parliament's view is an inclusive view that means we should use all of those methods available to us as a parliament to support people getting onto the roll. I accept the view which the coalition has that those people who are on the roll should be those who enrol specifically by electorate and at the time when they reach the qualifying points. It is a simple difference of opinion. But the philosophical difference which the government has is a difference which is fundamentally about inclusion and fundamentally about ensuring that our roll best represents those Australians who are eligible to vote. That difference of opinion will play itself out in the parliament in the course of the next few days and weeks.

We are, of course, hoping for a system that will deliver as best it can a harmonised enrolment system across our two most populous states, and encourage the smaller states to opt into that better, more developed system. We hope that will place our Electoral Commission on a track to deal with the 1.5 million, although I accept that that task is more complex than the measures that we put in place—if we do get them in place through the parliament in the course of the next few days.

Proposed expenditure agreed to.

Prime Minister and Cabinet Portfolio

Proposed expenditure, $313,473,000

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