Please note: the names of persons and organisations who lodge a written submission will be published. Where relevant to the submission, some information (suburb, postcode and the electorate you reside in) may be published. Signatures and other personal details (including email address, street address and phone number) will be removed prior to any publication. If you wish to lodge your submission anonymously, please let us know.
The AEC invites ideas and feedback (submissions) from interested individuals and organisations regarding the conduct of a federal redistribution in a state or territory. The process includes:
Round 1:
- Ideas
- Feedback on the ideas
Round 2
- Proposed redistribution report is released
- Ideas on the proposed redistribution report
- Feedback on the ideas
Round 3
- Public hearings
- Announcement on final electorates
- Decision
- Final reports and maps
The redistribution timetable outlines the legislative timeframes for lodging ideas and feedback. All ideas and feedback lodged by the legislative deadlines are considered during the redistribution process. Ideas and feedback received after 6pm on the specified day are not able to be considered as part of the redistribution process. The indicative timetable for the state or territory redistribution indicates the day on which ideas and feedback must be made.
How can you have your say?
Your submissions may contain facts, opinions, arguments or recommendations relating to the redrawing of electorates being undertaken within a state or territory.
Submissions could be made by an individual or a group. Community groups or a collective of individuals intending to make a submission on the same topic, such as the name of an electorate, may choose to use a petition attached to one submission to the Redistribution Committee or augmented Electoral Commission.
Submissions can cover all of the state or territory undergoing redistribution or only some of it. It is recommended that people or organisations lodging a submission refer to the redistribution criteria used by the Redistribution Committee, outlined in section 66 of the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918, and by the augmented Electoral Commission, outlined in section 73 of the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918 (as below).
Redistributions criteria
It is recommended to refer to the criteria used by the Redistribution Committee, including:
- Community of interests within the proposed electorate, including economic, social and regional interests
- Means of communication and travel within the proposed electorate
- Physical features and areas in the proposed electorate (i.e. prominent geographic features)
- The existing boundaries for that electorate
In constructing your submission, the following will help readers:
- indicating if your submission is about the boundaries of electorates, the names of electorates or both the boundaries and names of electorates
- indicating if your submission is about a particular electorate, several electorates or the entirety of the state or territory undergoing redistribution
- when providing feedback on ideas, it is useful to indicate the identification number of the idea you are commenting on
- when suggesting ideas to the Redistribution Committee's proposed redistribution, it is useful to refer to the boundaries and names proposed by the Redistribution Committee
Note: If your submission 'reflects adversely' on another person (for example, accusing them of lying or corrupt behaviour), it may be sent to that person so they can reply.
- Submissions must be in writing.
- Maps may be included as part of the submission.
- There is no prescribed format for a submission.
- A submission may be any length. If the submission is longer than a few pages, it is useful to include a summary at the front.
- If maps in spatial data format are provided with the submission, please also attach word or PDF versions of the maps to assist with clarity.
- To assist with the processing of petitions, such documents should indicate the number of contributors and be provided as an unprotected word or excel table in order to streamline the redaction of names and addresses.
The best way to lodge a submission is online. Information regarding lodging a submission will be available on the redistributions homepage at the appropriate time. Other options for lodging submissions will also be available.
Submissions can only be lodged in the form of a document. It is not possible to accept submissions in the form of a link or url address.
When lodging your submission, the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918 requires it to be received by 6pm of the closing date of the public input period for it to be considered.
Submissions are public documents and are made available after the relevant submission period expires to any member of the public:
- as part of the Redistribution Committee's proposal report (ideas and feedback), and
- as part of the augmented Electoral Commission's report (all public submissions).
Please note: the names of persons and organisations who lodge a written submission will be published. Where relevant to the submission, some information (suburb, postcode and the electorate you reside in) may be published. Signatures and other personal details (including email address, street address and phone number) will be removed prior to any publication. If you wish to lodge your submission anonymously, please let us know.