Media Release 1998: Production and Distribution of 7 Million Elector Leaflets

20 September 1998

In the fortnight leading up to polling day, the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) will deliver a multi-page elector leaflet to the over 7 million households in Australia.

The Electoral Commissioner, Mr Bill Gray said today that the printing and distribution of the Your Guide to the 1998 Federal Election was an operation being conducted within a very tight timeframe.

"As soon as the election was announced, the AEC gave the go-ahead to print, plastic wrap and distribute the State and Territory specific leaflets all within an 18 day period," he said.

"We are delivering over 7 million wrapped copies to households over Australia. Electors should begin to look out for the leaflet in their letterbox today."

The leaflet provides important information on the 1998 federal election including instructions on how to correctly fill out the Senate and House of Representatives ballot papers and how votes are counted.

In addition the leaflet details the ways electors can vote before and on polling day and lists all AEC office addresses in the household's State or Territory.

As Queensland, Western Australian and the ACT have recently undergone redistributions of their electoral divisional boundaries, their leaflets also provide detailed maps of the new Divisions.

Following an open tender process conducted earlier this year, the AEC contracted PMP Communications to produce and distribute the eight State and Territory specific leaflets.

Mr Gray said that the AEC and PMP Communications had worked very closely together to implement effective quality assurance procedures including that AEC staff would be checking the materials throughout the production process.

"To print the leaflets required over 162 tonne of recycled paper and 4447kgs of ink," he said. "It involved 116 people over 242 working hours just to print and wrap the leaflets."

"The distribution of the leaflet to every household will be wide and thorough with nearly 20 000 people involved in hand delivering a leaflet to every house, caravan park and high rise flat."

Australia Post has already delivered leaflets to electors living in remote areas and to post office boxes.

For further information on the 1998 election ring the AEC on 13 23 26 for the cost of a local call.

Further information:
Brien Hallett
Director Information
Ph. (02) 6271 4415

Bernadette O'Meara
Assistant Director Information
Ph. (02) 6271 4548