Maintain the integrity of electoral and regulatory processes

An essential feature of Australian democracy is an electoral system that operates with a high level of integrity.

The AEC maintains an impartial electoral system and processes for elections, referendums, plebiscites and by-elections in accordance with the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918 (Electoral Act) and the Referendum (Machinery Provisions) Act 1984.

As the Australian Government’s independent electoral body, electoral integrity is central to the AEC’s values of quality, agility and professionalism.

To maintain electoral integrity, the AEC regulates important aspects of the electoral system.

This includes:

• maintaining a complete and accurate Commonwealth Electoral Roll
• driving voter turnout
• supporting electoral redistributions
• registering political parties
• regulating the funding and disclosure scheme for political entities and individuals
• regulating the authorisation of electoral communications.

This enables all eligible Australians to enrol, nominate as candidates, vote and have their votes counted accurately and securely in an electoral system that is free and fair, and that is appropriately regulated.

Active electoral roll management

The Commonwealth Electoral Roll — the list of Australians eligible to vote at federal elections — is integral to election delivery. The AEC’s key electoral roll activities are:

• encouraging eligible voters to enrol and keep their enrolment up to date
• targeted enrolment programs
• enrolment processing
• measuring accuracy of the roll.

The AEC also supports state, territory and local government elections, by-elections and referendums by managing the electoral roll through joint roll arrangements.

The nature of the enrolment business is changing. The AEC has a program of continuous improvement to enhance enrolment services. One consequence of these improvements is a decrease in paper enrolment forms and an increase in uptake of online services. In 2020–21, the Federal Direct Enrolment and Update program supported Australians to meet their enrolment obligations (further explained in Key activity 2). Through our Enrolment Digitisation program, we aim to improve customer service and increase efficiencies.

Largest electoral roll continues to grow

Australia now has the largest Commonwealth Electoral Roll since Federation, with more than 16.9 million Australians enrolled at 30 June 2021.

The enrolment rate of 96.2 per cent exceeds the AEC’s target of 95 per cent.

Roll data and extracts

Under the Electoral Act, the AEC provides electoral roll extracts to members of the House of Representatives, senators, federally registered political parties, federal government departments and agencies, and other specified recipients. This includes sharing electoral roll information with companies that provide identity verification services.

Government departments and agencies may receive electoral roll information if they are a ‘prescribed authority’ under item 4 of the table in subsection 90B(4) of the Electoral Act. A list of government departments and agencies currently eligible to receive roll information is set out in Schedule 1 of the Electoral and Referendum Regulation 2016 (the Regulation). Each department and agency must justify access through its statutory functions and the Privacy Act 1988.

Private sector organisations may also receive electoral roll information if they are a ‘prescribed organisation’ under items 5, 6 and 7 of the table in subsection 90B(4) of the Electoral Act. This is strictly for identity verification purposes under the Financial Transactions Reports Act 1988 and the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Act 2006. The organisations carrying out customer identification procedures who may be provided roll information are listed in section 8 of the Regulation.

A list of registered political parties, government departments and other recipients of roll information and extracts is in Appendix C: Commonwealth Electoral Roll information. Further details can be found at www.aec.gov.au

The estimated Indigenous enrolment rate

The AEC is committed to ensuring that all eligible Australians are enrolled and able to fully participate in the electoral system. The estimated enrolment rate of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voters is increasing in every state and territory and we are enhancing our engagement with Indigenous Australians through a multi-faceted approach.

Estimated Indigenous enrolment rates are now published annually at www.aec.gov.au

PERFORMANCE STATEMENT – KEY ACTIVITY ONE

Supporting electoral redistributions

A redistribution of electoral divisions is undertaken in accordance with Part IV of the Electoral Act. Redistributions ensure — as close as practical — that an equal number of electors are in each electoral division for a state or territory. Each member in the House of Representatives represents an electoral division.

A redistribution is required when:

• there is a change in the number of members in the House of Representatives to which a state or territory is entitled
• the number of electors in more than one third of the electoral divisions of a state (or one electoral division in the ACT or the Northern Territory) deviates from the average divisional enrolment of that state or territory by plus or minus 10 per cent for a period of more than two months
• seven years have elapsed since the last redistribution.

Redistributions are conducted by two bodies. The Redistribution Committee proposes an initial redistribution and an augmented Electoral Commission determines the final names and boundaries of electoral divisions.

On 3 July 2020, the Electoral Commissioner determined that the number of members to be elected to the House of Representatives at the next federal election would decrease from 151 to 150. His decision stated the following:

• Victoria would increase from 38 to 39 members
• Western Australia would decrease from 16 to 15 members
• the Northern Territory would decrease from two members to one.

From 16 February 2021, changes to the Electoral Act set aside the aspect of the Electoral Commissioner’s determination of 3 July 2020 related to the Northern Territory. As a result, the divisions of Lingiari and Solomon will be contested at the next federal election on the same boundaries used at the 2019 federal election.

The Act was further amended with consequences for the next time the Electoral Commissioner determines the number of members of the House of Representatives. On this date, the basis for rounding the Australian Capital Territory and Northern Territory entitlement will use an alternative method. The next determination of the number of members for each state and territory will occur one year after the first sitting day of the new House of Representatives following the upcoming federal election.

As a result, the number of electorates to be contested at the next federal election remains at 151 (see figure 1 for a list of Australia’s 151 electoral divisions at 30 June 2021).

In 2020–21, redistributions commenced in Victoria and Western Australia and are expected to be finished in 2021–22. See Appendix F: Electoral redistribution data for redistribution process milestones in 2020–21.

PERFORMANCE STATEMENT – KEY ACTIVITY ONE

Figure 1: Australia’s 151 electoral divisions as at 30 June 2021

Administering political party registrations and financial disclosure

The AEC helps stakeholders carry out their obligations and responsibilities under the Electoral Act. This includes maintaining the funding and disclosure scheme and providing information and services to support political party registration.

The AEC maintains the Register of Political Parties. Under the Commonwealth funding and financial disclosure scheme, we require groups and individuals to lodge annual or election period financial disclosure returns.

Financial information about donations to political parties and election campaigns can be securely lodged online through the AEC’s eReturns system.

To support the integrity of the financial disclosures, the AEC undertakes an annual compliance program of disclosure returns.

The AEC administers public funding for political parties and candidates contesting federal elections and by-elections. Election funding rates are available at www.aec.gov.au

PERFORMANCE STATEMENT – KEY ACTIVITY ONE