Warren Snowdon (Lingiari, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for External Territories) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It's extremely important, Mr Deputy Speaker, as you would agree, that all citizens get an equal opportunity to exercise their democratic right to vote. It's critical that the federal government, through the funding of the Australian Electoral Commission, enable the right to vote by compiling a complete and accurate voting roll. The voting roll must be assembled for all areas of every electorate so Australians all get an equal right to participate in elections, no matter who they are or where they live or what their circumstances are. It's especially important that Australians who live with a greater-than-average tyranny of distance or who live well below the poverty line or for whom English is a second or third language receive the resources to enable an equal and fair participation in the democratic processes.

Previously in this place, I've expressed my concern at the effective closure of the AEC Darwin office, when it was reduced from 16 staff to three under a federal government restructure in 2017. The government cuts to the AEC included $1.5 million in 2017-18 and $8.4 million over the forward estimates. The staff that were cut from the office in Darwin included five from the enrolment branch and four in the Indigenous participation and voter education branch of the AEC in the Northern Territory.

It's clear that, by cutting and underfunding the AEC, this government is depriving large numbers of Territorians of their right to vote. The data shows the impact of the federal government's neglect on the democratic rights of Territorians, especially Aboriginal people in remote communities. As at 30 September 2018 there were 69,825 persons enrolled to vote in Lingiari and 139,000 in both electorates in the Northern Territory. As at 30 October this year the AEC pointed out on its own website that there were 26,377 people who were not on the roll in the Northern Territory at all. This means that 84 per cent of Territorians are on the roll and 16 per cent are not. For the rest of Australia 96 per cent of people are on the roll and four per cent are not.

In Lingiari is highly likely that the enrolment situation is even worse than for the NT as a whole. For a number of reasons, it's even more difficult to enrol to vote in remote communities. As well, there is no access to the AEC's direct enrolment program. The direct enrolment program is where Centrelink and motor registry lists are used by the AEC to put people on the roll unless they advise otherwise. Direct enrolment is the major reason why all urban areas in Australia, including urban areas in the Northern Territory, have over 96 per cent enrolment. Direct enrolment is a very successful and efficient program introduced by Labor, yet direct enrolment is not used by the AEC for at least 50,000 people in my electorate of Lingiari. Of the 26,377 people not enrolled, I estimate around 20,000 are in my electorate. Yet the federal government has cut and continues to underfund the AEC. Other data supports the federal government's neglect of democratic rights of Territorians, especially the rights of Aboriginal people in my electorate. In addition, in 2014 the AEC had already identified that 42 per cent of Indigenous people were not enrolled to vote.

What can we conclude then from these cuts to the budget of the AEC in 2017 and cuts to their staffing at the electoral office in the Northern Territory? The only conclusion I can reach is it's a deliberate attempt to keep people off the roll rather than do the diligent thing and make sure that every Australian, regardless of where they live, has the opportunity to exercise their democratic right. In Lingiari there are some 50,000 voters or potential voters where direct enrolment is not used—that's a scandal—in Nhulunbuy, Jabiru and Tennant Creek, plus all the communities that are more remote. The federal government must do what it can. I ask that they urgently review this arrangement to ensure that direct enrolment is available to all Territorians.

As we approach next year's election you would've thought that, given the desire to have people participate in the democratic process, this government would understand the impact of the cuts it has made to the Australian Electoral Commission and, therefore, as a direct result the impacts it's having on the rights of Northern Territory residents who would otherwise been on the roll to vote. It's an absolute bloody scandal.