21 December 2004

The AEC today released the results from an inquiry conducted by Minter Ellison into postal voting at the recent federal election.

The inquiry was commissioned by the AEC to examine any issues in postal voting administration at the 2004 election and to make recommendations for the future.

27 recommendations were made by Minter Ellison covering three areas :

• those designed to provide greater certainty and effectiveness in the process by which postal votes are processed through to the time of the counting of votes.
• those designed to ensure that the process under which postal voting materials are produced and distributed to electors operates in a timely and efficient manner.
• those designed to ensure that the AEC is in a position to keep stakeholders informed on postal voting matters.

A summary and recommendations can be read at http://www.aec.gov.au/pdf/media_releases/2004/december/postal_vote_inquiry.pdf

The AEC is generally supportive of the recommendations for improvement made by Minter Ellison, and will develop a more substantive response to the issues raised once it has had the opportunity to consider the report in more detail.

The full report will not be released at this stage as it contains commercial-in-confidence and professionally privileged information. However, the AEC intends to lodge the report with the Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters (JSCEM) when it reviews the 2004 election.  This JSCEM inquiry takes place after each federal election and is expected to commence early in the 2005 autumn session of parliament.

Media contact:

Phil Diak,
Acting Assistant Commissioner
Public Awareness Media and Research
Ph. (02) 6271 4477
Mob 0413 452 539