George Campbell (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Senator Webber, it was quite different when I was in Ireland. We voted early and often! The shortened time frame for changing details or enrolling also poses a problem for people from regional Australia. These people may have had the postboxes stripped from their towns, making it much harder to even get a form to the AEC. The government has claimed that the Australian Electoral Commission is placed under too much strain prior to elections, due to the large volume of enrolment forms that flood in. However, the AEC refuted this in its submission to the Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters in 2002. I think Senator Stephens quoted the section of that submission that goes to that point, so I will not bother repeating it.

It is interesting that these impediments are being put in the way of ensuring that people can enrol. Under the new industrial relations laws, this government is content to see the Office of the Employment Advocate flooded with AWAs that are not even reviewed before being approved. But, when it comes to people’s democratic rights, this government is only too keen to increase the identification requirements and make changes that will stop hundreds of thousands of people from voting.

The Australian National Audit Office has not been able to find evidence of people enrolling in marginal seats to affect the outcome of the vote. I could go on with a lot of other examples of how people will be disenfranchised as a result of this legislation. Let me conclude by saying that this government is prepared to send Australian troops to war in the name of democracy yet, at home, it is determined to make the voting system as undemocratic as possible. These changes are undemocratic and seek to limit public knowledge about political party funding. (Time expired)