Mathias Cormann (WA, Liberal Party, Vice-President of the Executive Council) Share this | Hansard source

This bill does not include a requirement to show voter identification. In this bill, it goes to the questions that an AEC official has to ask of voters. There are three mandatory questions before they hand out a ballot paper. This bill allows greater flexibility for polling officials about how they can word the three mandatory questions, to help the AEC communicate with voters who face language barriers or disability issues. The three questions are about name, address and whether the person has voted previously at the same election. But nowhere in this bill is there any new, fourth question permitting an official to ask a voter for ID documents.

Having said that, the introduction of voter identification is something that the government supports. It is something that the Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters, chaired by Senator McGrath, is currently considering, and it is something that the government would be prepared to bring forward in a separate piece of legislation in the future.