Key activities

To achieve our purpose and intended results, we focus on 2 key activities:

Key activity one
Maintain the integrity of electoral and regulatory processes

Performance measures

1.1 We deliver the franchise - an Australian citizen's right to vote.

• Percentage of eligible voters enrolled (enrolment rate).
• Percentage of 18- to 24-year-old Australians enrolled (youth enrolment rate).
• Percentage of voters enrolled who turn out to vote at all federal electoral events (turnout rate).
• Percentage of votes cast formally for the House of Representatives and Senate at federal elections or at referendums, and by-elections (if any held).
• Percentage accuracy of the Commonwealth Electoral Roll at the electoral division-level and individual address-level.
• Redistributions are determined in accordance with the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918.

1.2 We exercise our regulatory functions.

• Disclosure information is published and regulated in accordance with the timeframes in the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918 and the Referendum (Machinery Provisions) Act 1984.

Key activity two
Prepare for and deliver electoral events

Performance measures

2.1 We maintain an appropriate level of electoral event readiness.

• AEC-wide readiness achieved by the directed level of electoral event readiness date.
• Deliver public awareness and education products that target all Australian citizens aged 18 years and over.
• Percentage of temporary election workforce employees completing election training relevant to their role.
• Voting locations (including early voting centres and polling places) published on the AEC website before polling commences.
• Undertake a lessons management approach to delivering electoral events.

2.2 The public and stakeholders have confidence the electoral process is well managed in accordance with legislation or rules.

• The result – for each event – is delivered in accordance with the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918 or the Referendum (Machinery Provisions) Act 1984.
• The AEC delivers industrial elections and ballots within required timeframes.

Reporting on performance

Performance reporting is included in AEC annual reports.

Operating context

Our environment

We deliver electoral services in an increasingly contested and complex operating environment. Declining trust in government institutions means transparency and accountability are more important than ever. Public expectations continue to rise, with voters expecting high-quality electoral services that are responsive, reliable, easy to access and trustworthy.

At the same time, as the political landscape shifts, we are delivering elections with increasingly complex vote counts.

Elections also face growing risks of foreign interference, cyber intrusion, and threats to the safety and security of electoral infrastructure, staff and participants. Digital technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI), bring great opportunities but also enable more rapid spread of misinformation and disinformation, which can undermine public trust.

Our expanded regulatory role is outlined in our new Regulatory Framework. It articulates our regulatory objective of being the steward of federal electoral processes and electoral integrity through promoting active, informed and equitable participation by all Australians.

Our new Compliance Strategy takes this a step further, providing details about what the regulated community can expect from the AEC as a regulator, and detailing our compliance priorities.

These priorities promote transparency of political donations and ensure political parties are registered, electoral communications are correctly authorised, all eligible Australians enrol, keep their details up to date and vote, and help maintain high levels of public trust in the integrity of electoral events, processes and the roll.

We continue to exercise fiscal responsibility by prioritising our efforts, driving efficiency where possible, and carefully managing expenditure. Like federal elections, industrial elections and ballots are increasingly complex and costly. We deliver around 250 industrial elections each year, with supplier, travel and postage costs continuing to rise. Expenditure for these events fluctuates depending on each organisation’s specific rules, number of voters, number of contested positions and voting methods.

Other emerging issues include workforce challenges, operational and security risks, and demographic change. We are assessing how all the challenges in our operating environment might evolve and how we best respond. This will ensure we continue to deliver elections and related services with integrity into the future.

Our capability

A high-trust institution must have strong capability at its core. In a contested and complex operating environment, we must continue to mature our core capabilities – people, technical, corporate and regulatory.

Our people capability

Our work involves managing multiple, significant deliverables simultaneously, often at different stages of planning, delivery and transition to business-as-usual. We recognise the importance of supporting our people through ongoing change by providing clear direction and structured transition approaches.

Diverse and skilled workforce

Our Workforce Strategy sets the long-term direction for sustaining a modern, capable, agile, professional and scalable workforce.

We undertake workforce planning to actively analyse organisational capability against the forecast operating environment, identify gaps and opportunities, and enable us to adapt to priorities as needed.

We support a diverse, inclusive and capable workforce through our recruitment practices, workplace adjustments, recognition programs and Reconciliation Action Plan.

To further strengthen capability and support our workforce, we are piloting a ‘Leading with Impact Program’ to improve leadership capability, alongside our contemporary National Induction Program and suite of core Australian Public Service (APS) training, much of which is mandatory.

Reduced reliance on contractors

As required by the APS Strategic Commissioning Framework, we have identified the following job families as ‘core work’ for 2026–27: Legal and Parliamentary; Portfolio Program and Project Management; and Policy.

In the year ahead, we will continue to take steps to embed the APS Strategic Commissioning Framework and strengthen our capability. While outsourcing of core work is already minimal at the AEC, we are implementing a staged and sustainable approach to reducing reliance on external providers and bringing work in-house. We are also embedding structured knowledge transfer to build and retain internal capability over time.

Our property footprint

For more than 20 years, we have been carefully consolidating the AEC property portfolio. However, we still have a disproportionate number of offices compared with many Commonwealth agencies.

Offices comprising a single electoral division were common when enrolment transactions could only be submitted in paper form. However, people rarely visit AEC offices now, following the introduction of online enrolment, our Federal Direct Enrolment and Update (FDEU) program, and more modern online and telephone support.

Over the coming years we will create more Larger Work Units – offices comprising more than one electoral division. This will help drive efficiency while maintaining an acceptable level of service to the Australian community. These decisions are made in consultation with our staff and, where required, with the approval of the Special Minister of State.

Our technical capability

Delivering trusted federal elections and regulating Australia’s electoral system depends on complex, nationally significant digital infrastructure. In the current environment, electoral integrity, public confidence and regulatory assurance are inseparable from the way we design, govern, secure and sustain our digital systems over time. These systems underpin every aspect of electoral delivery and regulation. They must be reliable and secure, operating across election events, non-event periods and times of significant legislative reform.

Strategic direction and governance

Our technical capability is guided by clear strategic direction, defined investment and fit-for-purpose governance frameworks that ensure clear accountabilities and strong business and technical collaboration in managing core systems and services. We recognise that digital risk is systemic rather than episodic, and is best managed through disciplined lifecycle management, balanced architectural choices, and sustained focus on physical and cyber security, resilience and operational stability. This includes a deliberate and accountable approach to the use of AI, in line with government direction and Australian Public Service policy. AEC adoption of AI will be supported by clear governance, designated accountable roles, and a defined strategy that balances opportunity with the need to protect electoral integrity and public trust.

Roll management

The AEC maintains the national electoral roll – one of the most accurate and complete electoral rolls in the world, and a cornerstone of Australia’s electoral system. We are committed to protecting the integrity of the roll by keeping it up to date, using trusted data sources to ensure records remain correct, and using our Roll Integrity Assurance System of continual checks to maintain quality.

Each day, there are approximately 7,000 changes to the roll, due to eligible Australians changing address, turning 18, becoming new citizens, moving overseas or passing away. This makes for a highly dynamic roll. Our approach combines strong safeguards with practical, risk-based checks to ensure the roll continues to reflect Australia’s eligible population and remains a trusted foundation for Australian elections.

Digital capability

We are renewing and strengthening our digital capability through major initiatives including the Indigo Program, Funding and Disclosure Reform Program, and the Enabling Eight Project. These initiatives are progressively modernising core electoral and regulatory systems, reducing technical debt, and uplifting enterprise systems and services to deliver secure, reliable and transparent outcomes at scale. They are part of our broader approach to stewarding our digital environment and transitioning new capability safely and sustainably into ongoing operations.

Indigo Program – modernising our election management systems

Our multi-year Indigo Program is replacing the legacy information technology infrastructure and systems we use to plan and deliver electoral events. Tranche 1 has delivered new systems for managing the temporary election workforce and an integrated public contact centre, as well as the AEC’s Command Centre – a central hub that provides an overview of all aspects of our operational work during a federal election or referendum.

In 2026–27, we will build on this foundation, with Tranche 2 focusing on replacing our election management system. The new Australian Electoral Management System (AEMS) will be a modern and flexible platform better able to accommodate the increasing size and complexity of Australia’s federal elections. Production will involve significant testing and assurance, and the system will be fully implemented by the 2030–31 federal election.

Future tranches will decommission our legacy election management system and, subject to government funding decisions, replace our roll management system that houses the national electoral roll for Australia.

Enabling Eight Project – modernising our corporate systems

Our Enabling Eight Project will modernise 8 key corporate systems we use for enterprise resource planning (ERP), risk management and internal collaboration. We are aiming to use commercial off the shelf solutions where possible by pursuing systems or new contract terms that will remove or limit customisation. Our goal is to position our corporate systems for sustainability in the future while saving costs and time, and limiting risks associated with custom development not meeting future needs.

Cyber security

As our electoral and regulatory functions become increasingly digital, so too does our exposure to cyber security risk. We operate in an environment where cyber threats are persistent, adaptive and increasingly sophisticated, requiring a proactive and coordinated response.

We are strengthening our cyber security posture by enhancing our in-house monitoring and detection capabilities, uplifting protective controls, and deepening collaboration across government and with security partners, including the Australian Signals Directorate (ASD) Australian Cyber Security Centre. This is enabling us to better identify and respond to threats, protect the confidentiality, integrity and availability of our systems and data, and maintain trust in electoral services.

We will continue to mature our protection against cyber threats in line with the ASD’s Essential Eight mitigation strategies. This involves progressively implementing and enhancing key controls to achieve higher maturity levels, improving resilience against increasingly sophisticated and persistent cyber threats and ensuring alignment with Australian Government security expectations.

Artificial intelligence

As set out in our AI Transparency Statement, the AEC uses AI in a controlled and limited way to support staff productivity, analysis and service delivery. This includes using tools such as Microsoft 365 Copilot, and targeted use of GitHub Copilot and virtual assistants. AI is not used in core electoral functions such as enrolment decisions or vote counting, and all use is governed by a formal policy framework, senior oversight, and strict risk controls to protect electoral integrity and public trust. Our AI Accountable Officer and our Chief AI Officer are responsible for AI governance and report regularly to the Senior Executive Committee.

Our regulatory capability

We are responsible for administering and regulating Australia’s electoral system. We help stakeholders meet their obligations and responsibilities under the Electoral Act and Referendum (Machinery Provisions) Act 1984. This includes administering the Commonwealth Funding and Disclosure Scheme, providing information and services to support political party registrations and maintaining an up-to-date Register of Political Parties, and publishing disclosure information on the Transparency Register. In addition, we regulate the authorisation of electoral communication, administer compulsory voting and investigate cases of multiple voting.

Funding and disclosure reform

The Electoral Legislation Amendment (Electoral Reform) Act 2025 is the most significant update to the Electoral Act in 40 years, with the new Commonwealth Funding and Disclosure (FAD) Scheme commencing on 1 January 2027.

To prepare, we are uplifting our regulatory capability through an extensive program of work, which includes engaging with and educating stakeholders, and delivering new information and communications technology (ICT) capabilities required to effectively manage the scheme.

We will continue to develop and implement the FAD portal as an integrated capability for stakeholders to meet their disclosure and reporting obligations. This includes the capability to submit donation disclosure notices and annual returns and manage notices and correspondence about the obligations of the regulated community. This will improve visibility of donation disclosures, support monitoring of donation caps, and strengthen regulatory oversight and assurance. We will also enhance the Transparency Register to enable automated publication of disclosures and entity information.

Our comprehensive stakeholder engagement strategy is supporting the effective implementation of the new FAD scheme through a dedicated web page, practical guidance materials, system demonstrations, and digital training resources to explain stakeholder obligations and support compliance.

Our regulatory approach

With these significant changes to electoral funding and disclosure laws starting in 2027, we have begun uplifting our regulatory approach. We have published our new Regulatory Framework and Compliance Strategy to support our enhanced regulatory scope and functions. These documents outline the core principles that underpin our activities as a regulator, our regulatory approach as risk-based, intelligence-informed and technology-enabled, and how we will operationalise this approach in line with our compliance model.

This new regulatory approach positions us as a model regulator able to respond to emerging challenges. By upholding our regulatory principles – impartial, proportionate, transparent and accountable – we ensure Australia’s voters can continue to trust in the integrity of our electoral processes.

Risk oversight and management

Our risk management framework provides a structured approach to identifying, assessing, managing and monitoring risks. It aligns with the Commonwealth Risk Management Policy and is based on International Organization for Standardisation (ISO) 31000:2018 Risk Management guidelines.

An important component of the framework is our risk management policy, which defines our approach to managing risk, our risk appetite and tolerance, and key accountabilities and responsibilities for risk management practices – embedding risk management into governance, decision-making and day-to-day operations.

Strategic risks

Our strategic risks are:

Enterprise risks

Our enterprise risks are:

All strategic and enterprise risks have identified controls and treatments, managed at senior executive level through corporate governance committees.The Audit Committee reviews and provides advice on the appropriateness of the arrangements through its structured forward work program.

Cooperation

External cooperation is critical for us to continue to succeed in our contested and complex environment, delivering a safe and trusted electoral system into the future.

Electoral partners in Australia

We work with many Australian Government agencies, as well as state, territory and local government jurisdictions and external suppliers.

Government partners help us deliver crucial voting options safely, securely and with resilience in the face of emerging risks and disruptions.

We work with the Electoral Council of Australia and New Zealand to consider contemporary electoral challenges and ensure alignment and cooperation between regional electoral management bodies.

We work with our Joint Roll Partners to manage the national electoral roll used for Commonwealth, state, territory and local government elections.

Key government partners include:

• Australian Bureau of Statistics – which provides population information used to support redistributions and calculate projected enrolment rates
• Services Australia – which assists with remote voter services, electronically assisted voting, and providing call centre assistance during federal elections
• Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (AUSTRAC) – which provides access, via a Memorandum of Understanding, to financial data that supports our regulation of political financing, in particular the detection of foreign funding
• Australian Federal Police and state and territory police agencies – which provide threat and risk information, support protective security planning and public and staff safety at voting locations, and assess and respond to suspected criminal offences or breaches of the Electoral Act to ensure a safe and secure voting experience for all
• Australia Post – which helps ensure voters can readily access postal services for enrolment and voting
• Department of Corrections in each jurisdiction – which support eligible people in prison to vote via our mobile polling team or postal vote
• Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and Australian Trade and Investment Commission (Austrade) – which facilitate voting in many overseas posts, and work with us to deliver international electoral assistance and capability building
• National Emergency Management Agency – which supports whole-of-government coordination, situational awareness, and escalation arrangements in the event of national or large-scale incidents that may affect the delivery of electoral events.

We also chair the Electoral Integrity Assurance Taskforce, which provides coordinated information and advice to the Australian Electoral Commissioner on matters that may compromise the real or perceived integrity of an electoral event. The taskforce brings together capabilities and expertise from Commonwealth agencies across law enforcement, intelligence, operations and policy to assess and address these threats. It ensures information is efficiently referred to relevant agencies, facilitates cooperation and coordination, and enables agencies to work together to take any appropriate action.

Electoral participation and outreach

To support electoral participation, we will continue to research effective ways to communicate and engage with voters across Australia’s diverse demographics and communities. It is important we clearly explain why and how to enrol and vote in engaging and targeted ways that increase understanding and support informed participation.

We deliver advertising campaigns for electoral events, providing timely and accurate information to all eligible voters.

We collaborate with community groups and stakeholders including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, culturally and linguistically diverse communities, youth, people with disability, aged care providers and correctional facilities to co-design information and resources.

We received funding in the 2026 Federal Budget to embed our Indigenous Electoral Participation Program (IEPP), a centrepiece of the AEC’s efforts to support the democratic participation for First Nations people. The program uses an integrated approach to improve enrolment, turnout and electoral understanding, while addressing structural, cultural and geographic barriers that can limit participation in the electoral process. Through the IEPP, we partner with Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations and Indigenous Businesses to co-design resources, outreach events and programs.

Information is available in accessible formats and in up to 59 languages (including 25 First Nations and 34 community languages). We are committed to continuing our community education and delivering face-to-face education and other flexible formats throughout Australia, including in languages other than English. Our work helps people who might otherwise face barriers to participating, and ensures they know the importance of enrolling, voting formally, and that their vote is their choice.

We champion inclusivity by delivering accessible services. Our Disability Advisory Committee includes representatives from Australian disability peak bodies, as well as members of the Electoral Council of Australia and New Zealand. We also chair an Aged Care Advisory Working Group, with representatives from across the sector including from consumer peak bodies, and profit and not-for-profit service providers and advocates. A Mental Health Advisory Working Group helps us ensure services are provided in an appropriate way for vulnerable voters.

We run electoral information and education programs including dedicated programs for school children at the National Electoral Education Centre (NEEC). For schools unable to visit the NEEC, we expand our reach through classroom resources such as Teach the Vote and DemocraCity, our 3D interactive game.

International engagement

Under the Electoral Act, we support democratic institutions in the Indo-Pacific region by building institutional and technical capability through information sharing and on-the-ground assistance.

At the request of our international partners, with support and funding from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and approval of the Minister for Foreign Affairs, our locally led engagement activities may include:

• technical assistance
• strategic planning and advice
• training courses
• reviewing and updating policies and manuals
• knowledge exchange programs
• workshops
• operational support.

We support the Pacific Islands, Australia and New Zealand Electoral Administrators (PIANZEA) network, which is an Australian Government-funded electoral support program. The network has been in place for more than 25 years, with a strong track record of strengthening the capability of Pacific Island electoral management bodies and supporting them to manage contemporary and future threats to electoral integrity.

We continue to play an integral role as a founding partner of the Building Resources in Democracy, Governance and Elections (BRIDGE) partnership, alongside the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance, International Foundation for Electoral Systems, United Nations Development Programme and United Nations Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs. BRIDGE is a world-renowned professional development program focusing on electoral administration. It is the only initiative of its type delivered to electoral officials and other election stakeholders around the world.

Our international engagement is a hallmark of our contribution to the national interest – safeguarding democracy and enhancing stability in our region.

Industrial elections and ballots

Every year we conduct hundreds of industrial elections for office holders of organisations registered with the Fair Work Commission, including unions, employer associations and enterprise associations. We also conduct hundreds of protected action ballots each year, which are part of the process required for employees to take protected (legal) industrial action when bargaining for a new enterprise agreement. We conduct these ballots and elections under the Fair Work Act 2009, the Fair Work (Registered Organisations) Act 2009, associated regulations and the rules of registered organisations.