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AUSTRALIAN
ELECTORAL COMMISSION
INDEX
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Current
Funding Rate
The amount of election funding payable is calculated by multiplying the number of formal first preference votes received by the rate of payment applicable at the time. This rate is indexed every six months to increases in line with the Consumer Price Index.
The public funding rate from 1 July 2007 to 31 December 2007 is 210.027cents
($2.10) per eligible vote.
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Electoral and Referendum
Amendment
Act 1998
Summary of Amendments to the
Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918
Introduction
The Electoral and Referendum Amendment Act 1998 ("the Act"), which received
Royal Assent on 17 July 1998, has brought about changes to several aspects of electoral
and referendum law.
The provisions of the amending Act are based on recommendations made in reports by the
Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters. These reports covered the conduct of the
1993 and 1996 federal elections, and electoral redistribution.
The bill proposing the amendments was introduced into the House of Representatives on 3
December 1997 and was passed by the Parliament on 1 July 1998. The Electoral and
Referendum Amendment Act 1998 was granted Royal Assent on 17 July 1998.
Summary of Amendments
The provisions in the amending Act are generally of a technical nature and are designed
to improve operational procedures in the conduct of elections and referendums. The major
provisions of the Act are summarised below:
Nominations
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To increase the number of signatures required in support of
a nomination by a candidate not endorsed by a registered
political party from six to fifty.
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To increase the deposit for nomination from $250 to $350 in
the House of Representatives, and from $500 to $700 in the Senate. |
Funding and Disclosure
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To remove the requirement for
registered political parties to lodge returns of electoral expenditure. |
‘Langer-Style’ Voting
One significant change arising from the Electoral and Referendum Amendment Act 1998 is
the effect on ‘Langer-style’ votes in House of Representatives elections.
The Act has amended the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918 so that, while it is no longer
an offence to encourage a ‘Langer-style’ vote (eg. 1,2,3,3,3... etc), such votes
for the House of Representatives will no longer be counted as formal votes.
Anyone advocating that electors vote in this manner will be encouraging electors to
waste their votes entirely.
Further Information
For further information on the amendments to the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918 and
the Referendum (Machinery Provisions) Act 1984, interested people are advised to refer to
the exact provisions of the Electoral and Referendum Amendment Act 1998 (No 94 of 1998).
Full detail, as contained in Electoral Newsfile No. 72 August 1998, can be obtained
from:
http://www.aec.gov.au/pubs/newsfiles/news72.htm
The provision under Funding and Disclosure, allows the
political parties to be UNACCOUNTABLE to taxpayers for
electoral expenses. Another example of the contempt the political
party system has for the Australian People.
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