Australian Electoral Commission
Encyclopedia
The Australian Electoral Commission, or the AEC, is the federal government agency in charge of organising and supervising federal elections and referendums. State and local government elections are overseen by the Electoral Commission in each state and territory.
The Australian Electoral Commission also maintains the Commonwealth Electoral Roll. Under the Joint Roll Arrangements, the AEC maintains the electoral roll for the whole of Australia. This roll is used by the state and territory Electoral Commissions to conduct their elections.
The AEC also plays a leading role in electoral education and industrial voting (votes on industrial action).
The AEC consists of a Chairman (a Judge or a retired Judge of the Federal Court), the Electoral Commissioner and a non-judicial member (usually the Australian Statistician
). The Electoral Commissioner has the powers of a Secretary of a Department under the Public Service Act 1999 and the Financial Management and Accountability Act 1998. The Chairperson and the third, non-judicial member both hold their offices on a part-time basis.
AEC has a National Office in Canberra
and State Offices in Adelaide
, Brisbane
, Darwin
, Hobart
, Melbourne
, Perth
and Sydney
.
Each federal electorate has a Divisional Returning Officer responsible for administration of House of Representatives elections within their division. Each State also has an Australian Electoral Officer responsible for administration of Senate elections.
, by-elections and referendums
. Election Rolls must always be up-to-date to run these elections, and the AEC must also follow up electors who fail to vote and publish detailed election results. The AEC is answerable to the Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters of the Parliament of Australia
, and must report on how elections were carried out and the success of the elections in general.
The AEC also plays a major role in electoral education, aiming to educate citizens about the electoral process by which representatives are elected, and by which the constitution is changed (referendums).
allowed for the grace period after an election is called before the electoral rolls
are closed to be extended to seven days. Many people either enrol or change their enrolment details in this period. Prior to the 2004 federal election there were 423,993 changes to enrolment were processed in the close of roll period; of these, 78,816 were new enrolments and 225,314 were changes of address.
For the 2007 Federal Election, new laws have been passed to reduce the grace period for new enrolments to 8pm on the same business day as the issue of the writ
s, and for those who need to update their address details, they are given until 8pm on the third business day after the issue of the writs.
On 6 August 2010, the High Court of Australia
extended the close of rolls by one week, allowing additional eligible voters to vote in the 2010 Federal Election. Supplementary lists of additional voters were distributed to polling places, and these voters were also contacted by the AEC via postal mail.
The Australian Electoral Commission also maintains the Commonwealth Electoral Roll. Under the Joint Roll Arrangements, the AEC maintains the electoral roll for the whole of Australia. This roll is used by the state and territory Electoral Commissions to conduct their elections.
The AEC also plays a leading role in electoral education and industrial voting (votes on industrial action).
History and structure
The AEC was first established in 1902, as a branch of the Department of Home Affairs. In 1973 it became the Australian Electoral Office, a name it retained until 21 February 1984 when it became the Australian Electoral Commission, a Commonwealth statutory authority.The AEC consists of a Chairman (a Judge or a retired Judge of the Federal Court), the Electoral Commissioner and a non-judicial member (usually the Australian Statistician
Australian Bureau of Statistics
The Australian Bureau of Statistics is Australia's national statistical agency. It was created as the Commonwealth Bureau of Census and Statistics on 8 December 1905, when the Census and Statistics Act 1905 was given Royal assent. It had its beginnings in section 51 of the Constitution of Australia...
). The Electoral Commissioner has the powers of a Secretary of a Department under the Public Service Act 1999 and the Financial Management and Accountability Act 1998. The Chairperson and the third, non-judicial member both hold their offices on a part-time basis.
AEC has a National Office in Canberra
Canberra
Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
and State Offices in Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
, Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
, Darwin
Darwin, Northern Territory
Darwin is the capital city of the Northern Territory, Australia. Situated on the Timor Sea, Darwin has a population of 127,500, making it by far the largest and most populated city in the sparsely populated Northern Territory, but the least populous of all Australia's capital cities...
, Hobart
Hobart
Hobart is the state capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Founded in 1804 as a penal colony,Hobart is Australia's second oldest capital city after Sydney. In 2009, the city had a greater area population of approximately 212,019. A resident of Hobart is known as...
, Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Perth
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
and Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
.
Each federal electorate has a Divisional Returning Officer responsible for administration of House of Representatives elections within their division. Each State also has an Australian Electoral Officer responsible for administration of Senate elections.
Responsibilities
The AEC's major responsibilities are to run federal electionsElections in Australia
Australia elects a legislature the Parliament of the Commonwealth of Australia using various electoral systems: see Australian electoral system. The Parliament consists of two chambers:...
, by-elections and referendums
Referendums in Australia
In Australia, referendums are binding polls usually used to alter the Constitution of the Commonwealth or a state or territory. Non-binding polls are usually referred to as plebiscites.-Federal referendums:...
. Election Rolls must always be up-to-date to run these elections, and the AEC must also follow up electors who fail to vote and publish detailed election results. The AEC is answerable to the Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters of the Parliament of Australia
Parliament of Australia
The Parliament of Australia, also known as the Commonwealth Parliament or Federal Parliament, is the legislative branch of the government of Australia. It is bicameral, largely modelled in the Westminster tradition, but with some influences from the United States Congress...
, and must report on how elections were carried out and the success of the elections in general.
The AEC also plays a major role in electoral education, aiming to educate citizens about the electoral process by which representatives are elected, and by which the constitution is changed (referendums).
Changes to electoral enrolment before an election
In 1984 a change to the Commonwealth Electoral ActCommonwealth Electoral Act 1918
The Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918 replaced the Commonwealth Franchise Act 1902 which defined who was allowed to vote in Australian federal elections. The Commonwealth Electoral Act comprehensively rewrote the Franchise Act and introduced instant-runoff voting, known in Australia as Preferential...
allowed for the grace period after an election is called before the electoral rolls
Electoral register
The electoral roll is a listing of all those registered to vote in a particular area. The register facilitates the process of voting, helps to prevent fraud and may also be used to select people for jury duty...
are closed to be extended to seven days. Many people either enrol or change their enrolment details in this period. Prior to the 2004 federal election there were 423,993 changes to enrolment were processed in the close of roll period; of these, 78,816 were new enrolments and 225,314 were changes of address.
For the 2007 Federal Election, new laws have been passed to reduce the grace period for new enrolments to 8pm on the same business day as the issue of the writ
Writ
In common law, a writ is a formal written order issued by a body with administrative or judicial jurisdiction; in modern usage, this body is generally a court...
s, and for those who need to update their address details, they are given until 8pm on the third business day after the issue of the writs.
On 6 August 2010, the High Court of Australia
High Court of Australia
The High Court of Australia is the supreme court in the Australian court hierarchy and the final court of appeal in Australia. It has both original and appellate jurisdiction, has the power of judicial review over laws passed by the Parliament of Australia and the parliaments of the States, and...
extended the close of rolls by one week, allowing additional eligible voters to vote in the 2010 Federal Election. Supplementary lists of additional voters were distributed to polling places, and these voters were also contacted by the AEC via postal mail.
List of Australian Electoral Commissioners
| Commenced | Finished | Commissioner |
|---|---|---|
| 21 February 1984 | 26 November 1989 | Colin Anfield Hughes Colin Hughes Colin Anfield Hughes is an Australian academic specializing in electoral politics and government.He received his B.A. and M.A. degrees from Columbia University and his Ph.D from the London School of Economics. In 1966, along with John S... |
| 18 December 1989 | 20 December 1994 | Brian Field Cox |
| 16 January 1995 | 14 January 2000 | Wilfred James "Bill" Gray |
| 23 March 2000 | 1 July 2005 | Andrew Kingsley "Andy" Becker Andy Becker Andrew Kingsley "Andy" Becker is a former Australian Electoral Commissioner who served in that position between 2000-2005.Becker commenced his career as a Returning Officer in South Australia in 1967. He was appointed as Deputy Commissioner, in 1997, before being appointed as Commissioner in 2000... |
| 2 July 2005 | 22 September 2008 | Ian Campbell |
| 5 January 2009 | Present | Ed Killesteyn |
External links
- The Australian Electoral Commission website
- The Electoral Council of Australia website, the consultative council between the AEC and state and territory electoral authorities