Overview of the AEC

Areas of the AEC and a summary of their activities

• Parliamentary Elections
• Industrial Elections
• Fee For Service Elections
• International Electoral Services
• Party Registration / Funding and Disclosure
• Roll Products and Services Unit
• Enrolment
• AEC Media Section
• Education Products and Services
• Research
• Library

Organisational structure

The Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) is responsible for conducting federal elections and referendums and maintaining the Commonwealth electoral roll. The AEC also provides a range of electoral information and education programs and activities. Further responsibilities of the AEC can be found under the role and functions of the AEC.

The AEC's structure is shown in the AEC Organisation Chart [PDF 90KB].

The AEC is managed by a three-person Australian Electoral Commission (Commission). The Commission is headed by a Chairperson, who must be an active or retired judge of the Federal Court of Australia, the Electoral Commissioner, and a non-judicial member.

At 30 June 2010, the Commission consisted of:

• The Hon. Peter Heerey QC, the Chairperson
• Mr Ed Killesteyn, the Electoral Commissioner
• Mr Brian Pink (the Australian Statistician), the part-time, non-judicial member

Assisting the Electoral Commissioner in the national office are the Deputy Electoral Commissioner, two First Assistant Commissioners, six Assistant Commissioners, the Chief Finance Officer and the Chief Legal Officer. State managers, who hold the statutory appointment of Australian Electoral Officer (AEO) for each state and the Northern Territory during election periods, also assist the Electoral Commissioner in managing electoral activities within their State or Territory. Three Assistant Commissioners and two state managers have the added responsibility of being national program managers. The ACT is managed by the NSW state manager, except during election periods when an ACT AEO is appointed.

The AEC has a National Office in Canberra, a State Office in each State capital and a Northern Territory office in Darwin. Each State is divided into Electoral Divisions. Each division has a Divisional Returning Officer (DRO) who is responsible for electoral administration within that division, in particular, the maintenance of the electoral roll and preparations for the next electoral event.

The rules for federal elections are contained in the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918. Rules for referendums are contained in the Referendum (Machinery Provisions) Act 1984.

The Special Minister of State is the Minister responsible for electoral matters.

Role and function of the AEC

The role of the AEC is –
to deliver the franchise: that is, an Australian citizen's right to vote, as established by the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918.

What we do

The AEC implements the Parliament's directives on electoral policy as embodied in the legislation. As outlined in the 2010–11 Portfolio Budget Statements, the AEC has one primary outcome for which we are funded, namely:

1. Maintain an impartial and independent electoral system for eligible voters through active electoral roll management, efficient delivery of polling services and targeted education and public awareness programs.

It does this through three programs:

Program 1.1: Electoral Roll Management

Program Objective – Voter entitlement for Australians and support for electoral events and redistributions through maintaining an accurate and up-to-date electoral roll.

Program 1.2: Election Management and Support Services

Program Objective – Access to an impartial and independent electoral system for Australians through the provision of election services.

Program 1.3: Education and Communication

Program Objective – Informed Australians through the provision of information services on electoral matters.

The AEC has seven core business functions. This means we:

• manage the Commonwealth electoral roll
• conduct elections, referendums, including industrial and fee-for-service elections and protected action ballots
• educate and inform the community about electoral rights and responsibilities
• provide research, advice and assistance on electoral matters to the Parliament, other government agencies and recognised bodies
• provide assistance in overseas elections and referendums in support of wider government initiatives
• administer election funding, financial disclosure and party registration requirements
• support electoral redistributions.

ABN

The AEC's ABN is 21 133 285 851