Peter Hendy (Eden-Monaro, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I present a supplementary explanatory memorandum and seek leave to move government amendments (1) to (6) together.

Leave granted.

I move: government amendments (1) to (6) as circulated together.

The government has prepared minor technical amendments to this bill which have been circulated to members. The purpose of these amendments is to provide for a count of above-the-line first preference votes on Senate ballot papers by assistant returning officers and divisional returning officers, and the transmission of the number of first preference votes to Australian electoral officers. The bill, as it currently stands, proposes to remove requirements for assistant returning officers to conduct a count of first preference votes. The amendments will reinstate a requirement that counting of first preference Senate votes above the line commences after polling closes. This will provide an earlier indication of first preference votes for the public. I commend the amendments to the House.

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