Mathias Cormann (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Finance) Share this | Hansard source

This is probably the issue that we spent most of the time on in the initial 10 or 11 hours of committee debate. The government does not support these amendments, for the reasons that I have previously outlined in great detail. There is already a prohibition on misleading or deceptive publications which would be likely to mislead or deceive an elector in relation to the casting of a vote.

Of course, the advice to the voter will be very explicit on the Senate ballot paper: that to vote above the line the voter should number at least six boxes above the line in order of preference from 1 to 6 and that to vote below the line the voter should number at least 12 boxes from 1 to 12 in order of priority below the line. There will of course be, on top of that, an education campaign by the Australian Electoral Commission to ensure that people across Australia well understand how to vote for the Senate above the line and below the line. We believe that there is no need for additional penalty and offence provisions, and we do not support this amendment.