Information about enrolling and voting for people experiencing homelessness

You do not need a home address to enrol and vote

You can enrol to vote using no fixed address enrolment

if you:

• are experiencing homelessness – including living in crisis accommodation, sleeping rough, living in transitional or SAAP accommodation, or do not have access to safe and secure housing; and
• do not have a permanent home you intend to return to; and
• are 18 years of age or older and an Australian citizen

If you are enrolling for the first time, or you have enrolled before and are now eligible for no fixed address enrolment, you need to fill out a no fixed address enrolment form and return it to the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC).

You must enrol as an ordinary elector

if you:

• have a permanent home address but are temporarily living somewhere else until you return; or
• have experienced homelessness but now have a permanent place of living where you have lived for one month; and
• are 18 years of age or older and an Australian citizen

Further information

• Is it compulsory to enrol and vote if I don't have a permanent home address?
• Are there any penalties if I have not enrolled before?
• Will I be fined if I enrol but do not vote in a federal election?
• Will my details be made public or passed on to other government agencies?

Is it compulsory to enrol and vote if I don't have a permanent home address?

No, but your vote is a valuable thing and you still have a right to have your say. If you are eligible for no fixed address enrolment you do not have to enrol. If you have no fixed address enrolment you do not have to vote.

Are there any penalties if I have not enrolled before?

The AEC wants everyone who is eligible to enrol, so if you enrol now you won't be prosecuted or penalised for not previously enrolling to vote.

Will I be fined if I enrol but do not vote in a federal election?

No. If you have no fixed address enrolment and do not vote in a subsequent election you will not be fined. However, your enrolment may be cancelled.

Will my details be made public or passed on to other government agencies?

Under the Electoral Act the public electoral roll, containing names and addresses, is available for viewing at any AEC office. However, there is no address shown on the publicly available roll for electors with no fixed address. The information you provide is also made available under the Act to Members of Parliament, political parties, approved medical researchers and public health screening programs, certain government agencies and other electoral authorities. The enrolment form has more information on this.

Contact your local AEC office

The AEC is organised on a wide geographic basis, with a National Office located in Canberra and a State Office in each capital city. In addition, there are separate Divisional Offices that service the 150 House of Representatives electoral divisions. For assistance completing AEC forms, or for more information, please contact your local AEC office.