Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Fisheries, Forestry and Conservation) Share this | Hansard source

And of course Senator Carr has quite rightly already expressed the Labor Party’s view on this, with carriage of the bill, so one wonders why the two Fs—Forshaw and Faulkner—had to involve themselves in the debate other than to muddy the waters. Senator Forshaw, the logic is pretty clear. If you become entitled to vote during the election period, then there is already a provision to enable you to enrol provisionally. Of course that is for 17-year-olds. They can enrol because they might become eligible to vote right up until election day. What we are doing is providing a similar provision for the benefit of those who will become Australian citizens during that period, so they are able to get themselves on the roll.