Democratic Audit of Australia

SA draft redistribution

admin — Tue, 05 Jun 2012 00:50:10 +0000

The Electoral Districts Boundaries Commission has released its latest Draft Redistribution Order, redrawing the boundaries of the 47 electoral districts of the House of Assembly in the South Australian Parliament. The draft report consists of a draft order for the electoral redistribution and its reasons for proposing that the electoral boundaries be altered in the way shown in the 47 separate sketch plans that form the schedule to the draft order. Comments are sought by 6 July.

JSCEM looks at AEC’s analysis of FWA on HSU

admin — Tue, 05 Jun 2012 00:39:54 +0000

The federal Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters has launched an inquiry into the AEC’s analysis of Fair Work Australia’s report on the Health Services Union. The committee invites interested persons and organisations to make submissions by 21 June 2012.

Moving backwards?

admin — Tue, 05 Jun 2012 00:36:12 +0000

Writing in Australian Policy Online, the Audit’s Marian Sawer shows that Australia is slipping in relation to comparable countries in the representation of women in parliament.

Direct enrolment bills in federal parliament

admin — Thu, 31 May 2012 04:28:29 +0000

Two bills to enable the Australian Electoral Commission to directly enrol voters using a variety of data sources have passed through the House of Representatives. The Electoral and Referendum Amendment (Protecting Elector Participation) Bill 2012, which will allow the AEC to initiate a first enrolment, has also passed through the Senate, and the Electoral and Referendum Amendment (Maintaining Address) Bill 2011, which will allow the AEC to update the information of voters who have changed address using the same data sources, is expected to be debated soon.

Writing in the Canberra Times in March, Rob Hoffman and the Audit’s Brian Costar argued that the legislation is a necessary step in enfranchising a large group of potential voters.

Broad-ranging inquiry in Victoria

admin — Thu, 31 May 2012 03:56:42 +0000

The Victorian Parliament’s Electoral Matters Committee has commenced a very broad-ranging Inquiry into the Future of Victoria’s Electoral Administration. The inquiry will examine all aspects of electoral administration except local government.

Three decades of electoral reform

admin — Thu, 31 May 2012 03:43:11 +0000

A new book by the Audit’s Norm Kelly was launched by Phillip Green, Electoral Commissioner for the ACT, on 18 May. Directions in Australian Electoral Reform: Professionalism and Partisanship in Electoral Management assesses Australian electoral reforms of the past 30 years using personal interview data and parliamentary debates, to provide a picture of the reform process as well as the outcomes. The book also examines Australia¹s electoral administration, testing for professionalism, independence and integrity. It can be downloaded for free from ANU E-Press and can also be ordered in hard copy.

Victoria’s 2010 election examined

admin — Wed, 30 May 2012 03:48:59 +0000

The Victorian Parliament’s Electoral Matters Committee has released the report of its Inquiry into the Conduct of the 2010 Victorian State Election.

Australian elections timetable

admin — Wed, 30 May 2012 03:35:08 +0000

A new background note from the Australian Parliamentary Library, prepared by Rob Lundie, provides a brief overview of the rules for determining the next Commonwealth, state, territory and local government elections.

Electoral Regulation Research Network launched

admin — Mon, 28 May 2012 03:32:28 +0000

Collaboration between the New South Wales Electoral Commission, the Victorian Electoral Commission and the Melbourne Law School has resulted in the establishment of the Electoral Regulation Research Network. The central purpose of the Network is to foster exchange and discussion amongst academics, electoral commissions, political parties, parliamentarians and other interested groups on research relating to electoral regulation. Under its auspices, seminars and workshops will be held in various capital cities. The Network will also publish regular newsletters and working papers.

For further information, visit the Network’s website. To join the mailing list of the Network, please send an email to law-errn@unimelb.edu.au.

NSW election inquiry

admin — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 03:46:08 +0000

The NSW Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters is conducting a review of the Parliamentary Electorates and Elections Act 1912 (excluding Part 2) and the Election Funding, Expenditure and Disclosures Act 1981. The Committee will consider whether the acts “should be amended or rewritten to promote free, open and honest elections in New South Wales.” Further details, including the full terms of reference, are on the Committee’s website.