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Young voters silenced as they fall through electoral cracks

Anthony Antioch

by Anthony Antioch

10 Aug 05:30am

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Filed under: Aec, Compulsory Voting, Election 2010, Electoral System, Greens, John Howard, Politics, Youth

185 comments

In less than two weeks time, while the majority of Australians flock to the polls and cast their ballots, young people across the country will sit in silence, stripped of their democratic rights by our cumbersome and anachronistic electoral system.

First-time voters Amjad Saleh and Mohamed Saleh enrol to vote. Would have been nice to do it over the internet though. Pic: Jeremy Piper

Last Friday, the High Court overturned the Howard government’s 2006 changes to the Electoral Act. The amendments had resulted in the electoral roll being closed a matter of hours after the writs were issued.

In an action brought by political advocacy group GetUp!, the court held these changes to be unconstitutional, thereby restoring the original seven day grace period in which individuals may place themselves on the roll.

As a consequence, an estimated 100,000 additional Australians, predominately youth, are now able to take part in this year’s election.

Although this decision represents immense progress, systemic limitations in our electoral system still persist. In particular, the lack of an automatic enrolment mechanism causes widespread and ongoing disenfranchisement among Australia’s youth.

Recent statistics from the Australian Electoral Commission reveal an alarmingly high proportion of eligible young people are absent from the electoral roll. At the beginning of July, over half a million people aged between 18-24 had not enrolled to vote, including one in two 18 year olds and one in three 19 year olds. Similar levels of disengagement were recorded during the 2007 election.

It would be easy to dismiss these figures as evidence that Australian youth are simply lazy and apathetic. Young people, however, vehemently deny this claim. Instead, they point to the high burden of the current enrolment process, which involves completing and signing a physical enrolment form and sending it to the AEC, as well as advising the commission of any changes in address.

This requirement of material postage constitutes a barrier to the political participation of today’s youth - a generation which has grown up relying on new technologies such as mobile phones and the internet. Similarly, the obligation to inform the AEC of residential movements weighs heavily upon young people, many of whom move states following secondary school, leave the family home for the first time, or shift between rental accommodations.

Furthermore, given Australia’s status as the only English-speaking country in the world with enforced compulsory voting, many young people assume they are automatically placed on the electoral roll when they turn 18. The lack of adequate education concerning the enrolment process serves to perpetuate such misunderstandings.

In light of this, it has been suggested that a system of automatic enrolment should be introduced. This proposal was put to the government by the AEC itself in 2007, was a recommendation arising from the Australia 2020 Youth Summit in 2008, and is a key policy of the Greens in the impending election.

Under such a model, voters would be automatically entered onto the electoral roll as soon as they are eligible. The information required to do this would flow from Medicare, Centrelink, Australia Post, state education offices, driving license registration centres or other government departments. Additionally, a capacity for automatic updating may also exist, eliminating the need to declare variations in address.

Interestingly, the AEC has operated a Continuous Roll Update process since 1999, which allows information obtained from various government agencies to be used to strike individuals from the electoral roll.  Utilising the same resources to add and update people on the roll seems to be the reasonable next step.

Both New South Wales and Victoria have now adopted systems of automatic enrolment for state elections. Such a mechanism is employed nationally in Canada, and is common throughout countries in Europe.

As we move towards 21 August, we must also consider the future of our democracy and the ways in which we might improve it. Moreover, as this Thursday marks the beginning of the International Year of Youth, it is more important than ever to focus on empowering the young people who will shape our nation’s future.

Implementing automatic enrolment on a federal level is not only logical, it is necessary. Doing so would ensure the integrity of our elections, facilitate the enfranchisement of our youth, and strengthen our democracy.

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185 comments

Show oldest | newest first

    • Eric says:

      06:12am | 10/08/10

      Automatic enrolment? Sure - those young Australians who are too lazy to use a postage stamp are gonna love it when their fines for non-voting turn up in the mail.

      Reply

    • Adam Diver says:

      08:13am | 10/08/10

      “they point to the high burden of the current enrolment process, which involves completing and signing a physical enrolment form and sending it to the AEC”

      How funny is this quote and how stupid does it make young people look. Did they actually say “High burden”? Filling out a form and posting it oh no the horror.

      Using generalisations it would probably include many of the people who oppose the iraq and afghanistan wars, you know the ones where we now fight for democratic governments and the ability for the population to vote. This same privilige that filling out a form and posting it, stops you from having.

    • Nigel Catchlove says:

      09:05am | 10/08/10

      High burden and a barrier to political participation my arse.  It’s all about seizing rights and shirking responsibilities. 

      It would be interesting to see how many people turning 18 either forgot to get their driver’s licence or were turned off of the licensing process by the ‘high burden’.  Pathetic.

      Having written that I do think that an automatic enrolment process has merit or even one linked to the process of proving identity by getting drivers licences - part of the process would be filling out a form which enrolls a learner driver the moment they turn 18.

    • KJ Storm says:

      09:48am | 10/08/10

      Ok I am not an 18 to 19 year old I am actually 26. I missed out on voting in the last election as my form for a change of address was not received in time. I dont think high burden is the right word to use but it can be difficult for me to post anything.

      I work from 8:00 to 5:30 each day. I study at my desk at lunch time most days and trying to find time to slip out especially since a trip to the post office takes about 45 mins because of the massive lines at lunch.

      I carried the form around with me for weeks before I had the opportunity to purchase a stamp and post it. To be honest if the form had been online or if I could have done it over the phone it would have been done in two seconds flat.

      Given that this is to vote for who should govern our country I believe that their should be multiple methods for enrolling and updating address information.

    • Super D says:

      10:58am | 10/08/10

      @ KJ, perhaps if you read the instructions on the form a little better you would have noted that no stamp is required if the form is mailed in Australia, alternatively you can fax it or scan and email it.

    • Steve says:

      11:59am | 10/08/10

      I’m not sure how, if I’m not enrolled, the AEC will know where and to whom they should be sending my fine for not voting.  Perhaps Eric can explain the mechanism?

    • Brad Coward says:

      12:17pm | 10/08/10

      Come on, people !  There’s an election every three years.  The last one was held in 2007.  It’s not rocket science.  An election was expected this year.  Expect another one sometime late in 2013.  Expect another one in 2016.

      Now that you know when they are coming, just extract the index finger and enrol to vote during the appropriate year, as close to your 18th birthday as possible.

    • fish says:

      01:27pm | 10/08/10

      @KJ - Once you’re enrolled that’s it you’re enrolled.  Just wait for the fines to flow when the AEC catch up with you.

    • Gregg says:

      02:20pm | 10/08/10

      @ KJ Storm
      ” Given that this is to vote for who should govern our country I believe that their should be multiple methods for enrolling and updating address information “
      Yeah bloody oaf and who’s going to take responsibility for the rorting and fraud!
      You are dead right in that this is for who governs the country and you’ve seen what has happened to a guy who was parliamentary leader.
      The system needs to be so tight as to not have any crooked results and we all have to work mate and you’ll find that you do not need to go to a PO to get stamps.

    • Hutchoman says:

      02:48pm | 10/08/10

      The high burden of filling out a form and posting it?

      The author lost all credibility with this howler.

    • Moggy says:

      03:36pm | 10/08/10

      All these kids want to vote Green anyhow so it’s probably a good thing most of them don’t bother. I urge you all to read the Greens manifesto.

    • TJ says:

      03:53pm | 10/08/10

      @KJ - if you haven’t filled out your change of address then you go to the last electorate polling booths before you moved, and who needs to wait in line, its postage paid you don’t need a stamp.

    • Phil says:

      04:30pm | 10/08/10

      Nigel

      Agreed. I am sure they did not find it too hard to get a license. For all the bleeding hearts, it is the law to enrol to vote once aged 18.

      If one is so apathetic so as not to enrol, dont complain. I am sick of those who dont take responsability for their actions complaining that they dont get what they want, be that voting or anything else for that matter.

      A person must be living under a rock to not have known that an election was about to be held. The reason for actual enrolment forms is that online would be open to abuse, and we all know that to win an election no party would use dirty tricks.

    • Super D says:

      06:45am | 10/08/10

      What absolute nonsense.  It’s too hard for young people because it can’t be done electronically?  What a sad state young Australians must be in.  They manage to fill in a form to get a drivers license and I bet if they had to send in an application to get free Justin Bieber tickets they’d figure it out.  Frankly if these “Adults” are not even competent enough to print out a form and post it to the AEC before their first trip to the pub then really who cares?  They should indeed compile a list of young people who are not on the electoral roll - and send them a $50 fine every six months until they enrol.

      Reply

    • Jade says:

      07:06am | 10/08/10

      Do you really want these people voting at all? They obviously don’t take it seriously.

    • non-technology-challenged says:

      08:45am | 10/08/10

      Excuse me,

      As a 20-something, I can tell you that it’s not a burden to do it - it’s simply inconvienent. Collecting a form, completing it and then posting it is not hard - but the fact many of us are at work or school whilst the post office is open makes it difficult. And if we get it sent to us or ask our parents to collect us one whilst they are out and about, thats great. The main problem comes with returning it. I dont know about you, but as a persn who does all of my banking, communcation, applications and general tasks asides from groceries online, where it is quicker than the post office (it frequently takes a week for the odd letter from my mother to travel between 2 capital cities) it would be better for everyone if you could enrol online. Plus, I never have stamps. Why would I? Hell, you can book a driving test online these days, apply for a credit card, do practicallly anything, why not this? Also, the Census next year apparently has an online option, so why not the voting itself? More people would do it if it could be done from the comfort of their own living room. Instead we have to line up with a thousand other people in some dinky little school or town hall being harassed by demonstrators telling us to vote for one person or another, to fill in a form and drop it in a box.  And I do take it seriously, I just wish this country would step up and start to cater to this century. People over 40 aren’t the only people in Australia.

    • The Rampant Fairy says:

      10:44am | 10/08/10

      Non-technology challenged you may be, but common sense challenged you are. Do you seriously think online voting is a valid option. The ALP already rorts the current system, but at least they are limited by having to travel between different electoral booths to put in their false votes. If you could vote online, nothing would stop the dishonourables like GetUp! from killing an election with false votes.

    • Gary cCox says:

      12:04pm | 10/08/10

      I’m not sure I want the same people that vote(d) for Big Brother contestants participating in our election process. If they’re too useless to enrol leave them out of it

    • Joe Asakura says:

      03:24pm | 10/08/10

      Quite right Super D, the system is too hard for young people because the majority of them are stupid. Or lazy. Or both

    • TJ says:

      03:55pm | 10/08/10

      non-technology - it’s postage paid, so fill out the form at home and drop it in a post box, easily solved and you can download the form or call and have it faxed to your work. problem solved

    • Pelle says:

      06:47am | 10/08/10

      Purely out of interest, I would be obliged if someone could enlighten me on who funded GetUp’s legal challenge. Maybe it would disclose who had a vested interest in the outcome.

      Reply

    • Demoralised says:

      08:34am | 10/08/10

      Get Up is a left leaning political organisation. The Howard Government was a right leaning organisation. Get Up wanted to give people thier legal right to vote, what sane person would deprive a segment of the community the vote unless they were fearful of them.

    • Super D says:

      08:58am | 10/08/10

      It did seem strange to me that GetUp!‘s lawyers were advertised as working pro bono - ie for free, and were then awarded costs.  If this means that there would be no costs if Getup had to pay, but there suddenly are costs when the taxpayer is footing the bill something surely is wrong.

    • Adam says:

      09:00am | 10/08/10

      GetUp! call for donations from their members to sponsor their campaigns and actions. They do not receive government funding nor are they the puppet of any key political player.

      Check them out at http://www.getup.org.au.

    • Texas Millionaire says:

      11:12am | 10/08/10

      GetUp! are essentially a branch of the Labor Party. Most of the people working there aspire to jobs advising ALP politicians. This was most evident after the last election when almost all of Rudd’s staff came from GetUp! - it should therefore be hardly surprising that GetUp’s insanity began to rub off on their vainglorious leader.

    • Jo Cowan says:

      02:47pm | 10/08/10

      Getup is 100% Labor. At the last federal election, their site was deceiving young first-time voters into believing they should vote Labour. The quiz, supposedly to assist in a decision, gave the same result no matter the answers given. I tested it out. Giving answers from a Liberal voter perspective still told the respondent that their views dovetailed with the ALP’s policies. And yet we get Labor bleating on about Liberal tactics. Give me a break. The buses filled with Labor people doing the rounds of booths to enter multiple votes is another thing. If the ALP can only win by cheating, then I hope Karma gets them come election day.

    • Pelle says:

      08:56pm | 10/08/10

      Thank you all. I half suspected they were either a branch of the Labor Party or the Greens.
      It sort of puts things in perspective and I hope it backfires on them.

    • Pat McConville says:

      11:55pm | 11/08/10

      “The buses filled with Labor people doing the rounds of booths to enter multiple votes is another thing.”

      Just a casual unfounded allegation of a serious crime. Just a normal day. I, too, was shocked to learn that GetUp!, which describes itself as aiming to, “to build… a Parliament with economic fairness, social justice and environment at its core,” should advocate progressive causes.

    • dan says:

      07:02am | 10/08/10

      This is just an excuse for being lazy, i finished school 10 years ago in QLD and we recieved an electoral enrolment fom with our OP results. It takes only a few minutes to complete and send back. As for address changes being automatic you simply just download the form and can fax it to them - which i have done on numerous occassion due to work requiring me to move.

      If they cannot be bothered enrolling because it is supposedly to hard, then really they cannot be bothered having a say.

      Reply

    • Ian Deans says:

      07:22am | 10/08/10

      The idea that its too much work to fill out a form and post it away kinda undermines your claim that young people aren’t lazy.

      Reply

    • Denny Crane says:

      07:43am | 10/08/10

      Talk about being lazy, so you want evrything done for you, you are too lazy, to actually post a letter, but want the rights to vote for your local member.

      I couldnt wait when i was 17, to be 18, and the 1st thing i done, and it may have been at 17 years and 9 months was ensure that i enrolled to vote, you would think at that age, this is one of your key priorities, not wasting your time on your computer, or phone.

      If you cannto spare time to enrol or update your address, any everyone does update thier address, then maybe you shouldnt be given the right to vote.

      I am guessing that people who are lazy to bother to enrol to vote will through thier vote away on some minority party, that has pipe dream anyway

      Reply

    • Lily says:

      07:52am | 10/08/10

      I hardly think it’s a comment about young people being lazy - it’s a comment that the current system favours a way of operating that today’s young people are simply not as engaged with as they are with new technology. I’m sure older Australians would be severely concerned if enrolment switched to online only, and their complaints about it being a medium they are uncomfortable with would not fall to such scorn as the comments above.

      Democracy is about engaging all Australians - it is the responsibility of the Government to ensure this engagement is effective and nuanced to ensure continued participation of all Australians, young and old.

      Reply

    • Rowdy says:

      09:32am | 10/08/10

      “Democracy is about engaging all Australians - it is the responsibility of the Government to ensure this engagement is effective and nuanced to ensure continued participation of all Australians, young and old”

      Not exactly true. Whilst the government runs and maintains the AEC, it is up to individual Australians to get of their backsides and enrol to vote…. it should not be up to a nanny-state style government to spoonfeed us. Why should the government have to chase you up when you change your address?? Or when you turn 18?? It is the law to be on the electoral roll once you turn 18. Remember, with rights come responsibilities, and the right to vote is no different.

    • TJ says:

      03:59pm | 10/08/10

      it will be also easier for you to enrol pets to add more votes and rort the system, same with online voting systems that can and will be hacked, paper is the only way that we have a fairer system, if the young people can’t get on board with that then fine them!

    • Brian says:

      07:59am | 10/08/10

      It’s not exactly hard - when I first enrolled to vote it was by an AEC staffer coming to our high school with the forms, including reply-paid envelopes. The school allowed us to fill the forms out during class time and most of us gave them back to the staffer rather than mail them (total time - around 10 minutes. Add 20 minutes if you have to go post it yourself). Not all that time-consuming, and hardly difficult.

      The only other times I’ve had to do anything in the last seven years were when we moved houses - the first time it was completed after the AEC noted that we had moved according to our driver’s licences and sent the forms (again including reply paid envelope) and the second time the real estate agent who sold us the house included the forms in the ‘welcome package’.

      It really couldn’t be all that much easier, really.

      Reply

    • Adam says:

      08:52am | 10/08/10

      Of course it could be easier - as highlighted in this article. A system of automatic enrolment as employed by Canada and the NSW and Victorian State Governments would further simplify the process of having your say in our democracy.

    • All says:

      10:37am | 10/08/10

      It is just plain laziness and disinterest. Everyone has known that an election would be held in the latter half of 2010. No one is disenfranchised, no one falls through the cracks , you turn 18 you enrol you don,t wait until an election is called then cry “What about me”. The world does not revolve around self absorbed “me” generation Y. Do what others have always done get off facebook, twitter, sms, play station and think and act for your selves. If automatic enrollment was instituted I am sure they would then complain that no one told them and it was not fair, they didn,t ask to be enrolled.

    • Steve says:

      12:03pm | 10/08/10

      Adam is wrong about the NSW and Vic regimes.  They only enrol people on the State roll - as the Feds have additional requirements enrolment in Fed elections is not automatic.  This was covered in a lengthy piece in the SMH earlier this year

    • Brian says:

      12:22pm | 10/08/10

      Steve - Adam is correct. He never claimed that they enrol people on the federal roll, you added that yourself.

      Adam - My statement of ‘It really couldn’t be all that much easier’ wasn’t meant to be taken literally, yes it could be easier (my mistake - I need to be more clear), and I actually support the concept of automatic enrollment.

      What I don’t like is people saying that young people have been “stripped of their democratic rights by our cumbersome and anachronistic electoral system”, when what they really mean is that our young people have “neglected to complete simple operations which would allow them to enrol to vote before it becomes logistically unfeasible to include them on the roll, despite the extreme ease of the system”.

    • Optional Voting is Better says:

      02:01am | 11/08/10

      Canada’s voting is optional.  They find it absurd that we get fined for not voting, hilarious too, many thought it was funny when I received my fine for not voting at the last Queensland State election.  I’ve now removed myself from the electoral role as I live in Canada.  If and when I do return to Australia, I will not be re-enrolling to vote.  It’s not because I’m lazy, it’s because the system blows and I believe all the politicians are just as bad as each other.  As far as I’m concerned it doesn’t matter who is in there, they are all going to continue to ream the country from behind.

    • Adam Diver says:

      08:06am | 10/08/10

      I think there is definatly an element of Darwin’s Law in this. If it is not important enough to spend some effort to become enrolled then it is more than likely that you don’t care to much about politics.

      Christ I enrolled when I was 18 and I am the kind of person who will keep a $500 faulty product because I am too lazy to ring tech support. As long as the law stays constant than it is fair for all generations.

      Reply

    • Adam says:

      08:58am | 10/08/10

      ‘as long as the law stays constant than it is fair for all generations’ - perhaps in this case your statement fits, however shouldn’t the Government continue to modify its processes to ensure they are keeping up with technology changes and trends of consumption by its constituents?

      Online enrolment would follow this logic, considering most Government bodies have switched to entirely online processes anyway (eg: Centrelink, e-Tax). If you can manage your personal welfare benefits online and submit the most complicated interaction you have with the government online (your tax claim), then it seems you should be able to at least enrol to vote online as well.

    • TJ says:

      04:09pm | 10/08/10

      Adam - online anything will be able to be hacked, until a process can be 100% un-hackable then paper is the best way, it’s not about keeping up with times or technology it’s about system errors and bugs in the software, have you seen the movie Man of the Year with Robin Williams? Prime example of what can happen

    • Ian says:

      12:38am | 11/08/10

      @TJ: Where then is the evidence of people hacking into Centrelink and the ATO to defraud the government? Instead of spouting paranoid premonitions lifted straight from a Hollywood comedy and labelling them as ‘what can happen’, you would do well to address Adam’s point about what already happens.

    • TJ says:

      10:15am | 11/08/10

      @Ian why should I? are there rules to online blogging?

    • Ian says:

      02:49pm | 11/08/10

      @TJ: I apologise, I hadn’t realised you were politically apathetic and only here to troll. There are of course only rules if you wish to be taken seriously. As you were.

    • TJ says:

      03:08pm | 11/08/10

      @Ian - thank you, I appreciate the apology, I will continue to troll and try get extreme reactions from people, I don’t care about being taken seriously after all it is only a blog, no need for people to get their panties in a twist over nothing.

    • Justin says:

      08:49am | 10/08/10

      For Tony, text ‘Smuggler’ to 19-AUS-GOV. For Julia, text ‘Ranga’ to 19-AUS-GOV.

      Firstly, get a hair cut. Secondly, anyone who’s been through the jury duty ringer can tell you why it’s a good idea not to get on the roll. The apathy of youth might save them when they grow up & become small business people & can’t afford to be on the jury of a 6 week trial.

      Reply

    • Macca says:

      08:52am | 10/08/10

      When you turn 18 you get a number of responsibilities, including signing up to the electoral role. I don’t see how this process is any different to registering a car.

      Reply

    • Polly says:

      09:06am | 10/08/10

      It’s all well and good to say it’s easy to enrol and young people are lazy, but that’s just perpetuating the same ridiculous myth. AEC officers DO go to schools, that’s exactly how I enrolled to vote, and it was quick, easy and painless, mainly because I just had to write a few words and give it back. But what about those young people that miss out on this opportunity? Those in regional areas, those that might not go to school, those without access to a fax machine, a scanner, a printer, those that don’t have time due to school, work or family commitments. The sheer statistic of 1 in every 2 18 year olds not enrolled to vote shows there IS a problem, and instead of everyone complaining and blaming other people, how about instead assisting in giving everyone their democratic right to vote.

      If everyone was struck off the roll today, I wonder how many people of any age would take the initiative to go back and do the entire process.

      Reply

    • kylie says:

      03:34pm | 10/08/10

      “Those who dont have time due to school, work or family commitments”??? Seriously???
      Find me a 17yr old who can’t spare the 2 minutes it takes to fill out the form, or the other 30seconds to either put it in a post box, fax it or scan/email it to the AEC.
      The mailing address is reply-paid (so no whinging about having to find a post office / news agent to buy the stamp), and its not difficult to get access to a fax machine or scanner - be it at school, work, uni, local library, post office, friend’s house, next-door neigbour etc.

      There is no excuse for not enrolling to vote, except for laziness or apathy.

    • Brian says:

      04:50pm | 10/08/10

      As someone who was once almost struck off the roll in error (I wasn’t struck off, but recieved a letter along with my wife which indicated that I was going to be, due to someone else claiming they lived at our address), I can say with certainty I would. It took me longer waiting in the phone queue for the AEC than it would have to complete the form and re-enrol!

    • Ian says:

      12:47am | 11/08/10

      And that’s commendable, Brian. No doubt there are many other Australians such as yourself who take the right to vote seriously, but I think Polly’s point was simply that young people do not have a monopoly on political apathy, if that’s what we want to call it.

    • Eleanor says:

      09:08am | 10/08/10

      It is frustrating. I’m a young person, I care about my vote, and I’ve moved about three times in the last 18 months. Rather than having to write off to the AEC or call into the office (I do work full-time as well, so please don’t call me lazy), I should just be able to spend five minutes online and update my details - or, considering the Govt has all my details already and can track me down in a heartbeat when I’ve copped a speeding fine, why can’t I just be enrolled automatically? It’s just such a stupid problem to have.

      Reply

    • Rowdy says:

      09:42am | 10/08/10

      Sorry eleanor…but you are LAZY. It takes about 20 seconds to download the change of address form from the AEC website, complete it by hand (you know…that “hand writing” thing they taught you in primary school?) and then scan and email it back. Is that too hard??

      You say you care about your vote….well with rights come responsibilities, and one of those responsibilities is ensuring you are on the electoral role (it is the law) and notifying the AEC of your change it address. It’s not rocket science and it takes all of about 2 minutes. Stop expecting the government to do everything for you.

    • Lauren says:

      02:52pm | 10/08/10

      Sorry Eleanor I’m with Rowdy (and I’m also young). I too have moved about 3 times in the last 2 years. Each time I completed the form online, simply printed it out, signed, stuck it in an envelope and put it in the mailbox.

      You don’t even need to handwrite if you do it online. Only your signature. and if you’re real lazy instead of going to drop it off just stick it with your company’s mail at the end of the day for some other person to do it for you.

    • Campbell says:

      07:39pm | 10/08/10

      Sorry Rowdy and Lauren, but how much easier would it be for me to not have to download the form but instead fill it online, press send and not have to worry about it? This is not about laziness, this is about ease of access. We live in an age where technology is vital in society, so why not utilise this?
      Also, sarcasm is the lowest form of wit, so maybe try writing properly, using real grammar and people might listen to you more.

    • jg says:

      09:08am | 10/08/10

      What? They didn’t realise there was a federal election coming up?

      Reply

    • Dom says:

      09:09am | 10/08/10

      Note to Abbott:  Do not deny those under thirty the dole.  Just make it mandatory that ALL dealings with Centrelink are conducted through the post.  Problem solved apparently.

      Reply

    • Adam says:

      09:11am | 10/08/10

      It seems like the two key suggestions of this article are being ignored by readers who are making their incredulous remarks concerning whether young Australians are lazy or not.

      But that’s not the main point of this article.

      Online enrolment and automatic enrolment are two suggestions that the Federal Government could take to further simplify the enrolment process for all Australians - whether they are young first-time voters, newly arrived immigrants or Australians who have moved and need their details changed on the electoral roll.

      Most Australians are for the simplification of Government processes and for minimising bureaucracy and both of these suggestions would do so.

      Online enrolment would lower the number of people involved in physically enrolling or updating details as it would all be done electronically. This would save vast volumes of time, especially during the enrolment frenzy that occurs when writs are issued. Imagine the savings for the AEC on wages who work around the clock as soon as an election draws near.

      Automatic enrolment is a further step in simplifying the process - further facilitating information sharing between different bodies and levels of Government whom we already give all our personal information to - Medicare, Centrelink, state driving authorities.

      Let’s focus on continuing to simplify government processes when the technology is available to make it easier for everybody.

      Reply

    • Gregg says:

      02:34pm | 10/08/10

      The key thing you so conveniently ignore Adam is thr fraud factor and without proper scrutinising of information to start with it would be an even greater problem.
      You cannot get a passport online and tough titties but there’s all sorts of fraud that occurs online.
      This is a once off event for many people and then a simple address update once registered.
      You say it would simplify the process and then what if with auditing, fraud is found to the extent that results would be different.
      It would be a nice iraqiish schemozzle we can well do without.

    • TJ says:

      04:18pm | 10/08/10

      OMG like what Gregg says, what you are not realising is why wait to the last minute to register? what lines? fill it out, address it and put reply paid then stick it in a post box, it’s not rocket science, you don’t need to go to the PO to sort it out for crying out loud.  Online there would be hackers and so much fraud going on it wont be funny, that’s why we still vote by filling out a form

    • First Voter says:

      09:17am | 10/08/10

      It should have been compulsory for anyone turning 18 to register to vote on or before their birthday.

      Reply

    • Steve says:

      10:36am | 10/08/10

      It already is compulsory to do so and has been for a long time.

      Apart from the young beeing too damn lazy to enrol or coming up with some other lame excuse my biggest beef with the current voting system is stupid preferentail voting. The best change that could happen to our voting system is to get rid of it . It should be first past the post - whoever gets the most votes should win the seat - really who give’s a rats about who you number as your 2nd choice on the ballot paper? It would be like a horse winning the Melborne Cup then the 3rd horse gangs up with the 2nd horse & then the 2nd horse becomes the winner even though he really came second.  What an absolute joke!  Get rid of this stupid system that IS NOT used in other democracies..

    • Rowdy says:

      11:13am | 10/08/10

      Unfortunately Steve, first past the post only works if there are two candidates only.

      For example if there are 10 people in an electorate, and 3 people (A, B and C) are running for office. A gets 4 votes, B gets 3 votes and C gets 3 votes. According to first past the post system, A wins. However, the total people who didn’t vote for A is 6, which means that more people didn’t want A to win than wanted A to win. Hardly democratic…..prefferential voting, whilst having it’s flaws, is about the best and fairest option….although I could be wrong.

    • Shifter says:

      02:20pm | 10/08/10

      @First Voter @Steve - It raises the other issue, should we have compulsory voting in federal (and by extension state) government elections?

      I’m of the belief we shouldn’t. The apathetic who do not care enough to vote without being forced do not add to the democratic process.

      Stopping the compulsory vote may also be a game changer in politics, my thoughts are the voters parties try so hard to bribe at each election (young parents, pensioners) are probably more likely to decide not to vote.

    • Rowdy says:

      09:23am | 10/08/10

      Absolutely unbelievable.

      Quote: “Instead, they point to the high burden of the current enrolment process, which involves completing and signing a physical enrolment form and sending it to the AEC, as well as advising the commission of any changes in address”

      You can’t be serious Master Antioch surely? It is too hard for you to physically complete an enrolement form and use postage? OMFG!!!!!

      Did you know you can download the enrolement form and the change of address form, complete it and email it back to the AEC? Is that a little easier for you? Would you like me to guide you through it as I think you might find it a little difficult to grasp on your own?

      Pffft….and you wonder why we frown on GenY.

      Reply

    • Amy says:

      09:44am | 10/08/10

      And YOU wonder why Gen Y’s hold other generations and their antiquated processes in contempt, when you’re so quick to tar them all with the same brush.

    • PGS says:

      02:28pm | 10/08/10

      Just to point out - now you also have to have the form co-signed by a JP or similar. There was a time when every PO had one, as did all banks & pharmacies. Now JPs are not easy to locate - they are out there, but try finding one during your 30min lunch break.

    • Rowdy says:

      02:56pm | 10/08/10

      If you go to the copy of the on-line form:

      http://www.aec.gov.au/pdf/enrolment/forms/ER016w_NSW_0609_Fb.pdf

      you see that if you have a current state drivers licence, you can sign the form yourself and send it in. No need for a signature from anyone else.

      If you have no drivers licence, but have one of the listed forms of ID, you need to get the form co-signed. However it lists 39 different professions that can sign, not just JP’s. JP’s are scarce I’ll agree, but surely you can find one of the others listed?

      It’s the option on Page C that is concerning…..if you have no licence, and none of the other accepted forms of ID, then you only require the hand written forms from 2 people who are on the roll and have known you for at least 1 month, and these “references” don’t need to be authorised. Hmmmmmm…........

    • Brian says:

      02:57pm | 10/08/10

      PGS, in WA at least you can provide details of your drivers licence (unsited) or a sighted document.

      If you don’t have a licence, you can get the documents sighted by any bank officer, commonwealth/state/territory government employee (ANY of them), any defence force member, dentist, liquor licence holder, registered tax agent, celebrant, medical practitioner, minister of religion (say when you go to church on the weekend), nurse, pharmacist (at that late night pharmacy), pilot, police officer, Australia Post employee, Real Estate agent, teacher or a variety of others.

      It would be an unusual person who doesn’t know at least one of the people in those professions personally, and even more unusual that a person would be unable to find such a one. Most shopping centers have a liquor store, many of them have the licence holder present (not all of them). I guarantee that I could find, in any major city, at least one person who could sight a document and get them to do it within a lunch break on a weekday, including a city I have never visited before (in fact, I had to do it once in Melbourne after having been there for about 36 hours. Thanks Commonwealth bank-lady).

    • Brian says:

      03:38pm | 10/08/10

      And just double-checked - details of a driver’s licence is sufficient for the forms (without being sighted) in all states and territories, while every bank, post office and pharmacy will still have someone able to sight documents in any case.

    • AdamC says:

      10:23am | 10/08/10

      I have to three comments. One: I am so glad that I am now old enough to no longer feel associated with these ridiculous ‘youth’ talking heads who seem to think people under 25 are necessarily idiotic. That is especially so when said talking head doesn’t seem to have done his research. Last time I re-enrolled I scanned and emailed my form. No postage stamp (or arduous visit to a post box) required.

      Two, it is a perfectly reasonsbale suggestion that enrolment processes should be upgraded to incorporate newer technologies that make the process easier. You could have just said this, Ant, rather than smearing your Gen Y colleagues as irredeemably lazy and incimpetent.

      Third, I would have thought an automatic enrolment would raise privacy concerns. How would people be automatically recorded on the rolls?

      Reply

    • Jules says:

      04:58pm | 10/08/10

      The same way they are automatically struck off: by using data from Medicare, Centrelink, and other government agencies.

    • TheRealDave says:

      10:27am | 10/08/10

      Do we really want or need people who are too lazy to fill out a form readily available across the country and drop it into the mailbox??

      Cumbersome and antiquated? Yes, things that involve you getting off your arse usually are….like working…..

      Reply

    • Jon says:

      10:30am | 10/08/10

      Imagine if there was a party worth voting for?  Then I am sure more young Australians would care.

      Reply

    • Steve says:

      10:30am | 10/08/10

      The best change that could happen to our voting system is to get rid of preferentail voting. It should be first past the post - whoever gets the most votes should win the seat - really who give’s a rats about who you number as your 2nd choice on the ballot paper? It would be like a horse winning the Melborne Cup then the 3rd horse gangs up with the 2nd horse & then the 2nd horse becomes the winner even though he really came second.  What an absolute joke.  Get rid of this stupid system that IS NOT used in other democracies.

      Reply

    • jane says:

      12:27pm | 10/08/10

      Thank you Paul as you saved me from writing it.

      All you need to do is print it, sign it, scan it and email it. Or print it, sign it, fax it. No need to go anywhere near a post office or to use these things called stamps.

    • TJ says:

      04:22pm | 10/08/10

      You don’t even need stamps, it’s reply paid

    • Tripper Smurf says:

      11:09am | 10/08/10

      I have been enrolled since I was able to do so when I was 17 (even before I could actually vote)  Have been voting in every election since.  However some of my closest friends still refuse to enroll, as this is the only legal way that they dont have to vote.  Many young people these days are disillusioned by the Liberal-Labor regime that runs this country.  Come to think about I dont blame them. 

      If the AEC wishes to boost enrollment figures, then do away with compulsory voting altogether.

      Reply

    • Jules says:

      11:13am | 10/08/10

      A lot of people have concentrated on the apathy and laziness of young people in not enrolling to vote.  As a politically engaged young person, I filled in the form when it was sent to me, and enrolled the day I turned 17.  I suspect it’s the same with most other young people who have commented on this article.

      But we need to accept that not all Australians, and not all young people, are as engaged.  Enrolling to vote is not their first priority.  Nor is there sustained and widespread education about the need to enrol, either in high school or between elections. 

      There is also the expectation that, where it is compulsory to vote, one would be automatically enrolled.  There is an argument that, where voting is voluntary, so should enrollment. 

      Thirdly, notwithstanding the huffing and puffing about apathy, there is no rational, logical reason that has been put against automatic or online enrolment.  Surely, we should facilitate participation in our democracy, and make it as easy as possible ?  People may say that the present system does not impose a great burden, but they could not deny that automatic enrolment would be simpler still. 

      Finally, we have the absurd situation where the electoral commission automatically removes people from the roll using information gathered from other government agencies such as centrelink, but cannot use that information to automatically update details or enrol someone.  Again, I challenge the naysayers to defend this absurdity. 

      Automatic enrolment would be cheaper, simpler and empowering of ALL Australians, but particularly young people.  And I’m yet to see a sound argument to the contrary.

      Reply

    • Gregg says:

      02:43pm | 10/08/10

      That’s good Jules that you enrolled at an early age but as for
      ” There is also the expectation that, where it is compulsory to vote, one would be automatically enrolled.  There is an argument that, where voting is voluntary, so should enrollment.  ”
      That’s a bit naive for for what else happens automatically at a youngish age other than sex.
      Like you do not get a TFN, a drivers licence or even your own Medicare card that I know of automatically.
      And AEC information and even tele Adverts often get run.
      With all the talk of elections that usually occurs even before an election is called, surely young people cannot be so dis-engaged on what is about to happen and if they are, well they’re probably not interested in voting.

    • Jdubs says:

      11:15am | 10/08/10

      I struggling to believe how some of the comments are addressing the issue of automatic enrolment here. You’re actually so concerned about what you think is young people being ‘lazy’ that you’re prepared to disenfranchise them in the hundreds of thousands? You must be deluded. Why wouldn’t automatic enrolment be a good idea? Because it helps ‘lazy’ young people? No, it is a good idea because it helps all people in a society where we don’t give a shit about politics until election day. And if we didn’t have compulsory voting, can you imagine how much politicians would spend on trying to convince us to come out and vote? It would be like America, and I don’t want to live in America, I like Australia thanks very much.

      Reply

    • Steve says:

      11:29am | 10/08/10

      ” Why wouldn’t automatic enrolment be a good idea? Because it helps ‘lazy’ young people? No, it is a good idea because it helps all people in a society where we don’t give a shit about politics until election day.”

      Anyone that does “not give a shit about politics until election day” is really devaluing the great benefits of a democracy where you actually have the right to vote - there are still a lot of countries around the world where people die fighting to get such a right. So to all the “dont give a shit brigade” ii is about time you did if you care about the future of your country.

      And in regard to your barb about America - I would have a damn good guess that you have never been to America so you are really making a very uninformed comment typical of a probable left wing anti America idealogy.

      America is a great country, yes it has some problems just like all countries, but in a lot of respects it it is many years ahead of Australia. I am Australian born & bred and a proud Australian but I have lived in worked in the US as well so can see the best of both countries.

      I am of the opinion that the Australian voting system would be much better off without the votes of the “dont give a shit brigade” - if you don’t care then just don’t bother.

    • Jdubs says:

      01:34pm | 10/08/10

      @Steve: thank you for being on of the only people posting here who actually has something intelligent to say.

      I agree that people who ‘don’t give a shit’ about politics are a pain, but wouldn’t it be better to ensure they were a part of the electoral system with the least trouble possible, and educate them to care, rather than exclude them altogether? I think so.

      I also agree there are many countries around the world where people are fighting and dying for the right to vote. Australians have been lucky enough to avoid doing that for, depending on your view, 40 or 60 years. I think a lot of people have forgotten what a gift living in a democracy with all the rights we enjoy, including the right to vote, is. But I’m not trying to devalue others who struggle for democracy, I’m only pointing out what I see as the sad state of affairs in Australia. Again, I don’t think we should exclude people, I think we should include and educate them. It’s almost a truism to say that democracy get’s its legitimacy from having a majority participate; if we only include those people who are in to politics all the time voting (or landowners, or people with university degrees or whatever) we are using democracy to discriminate against people and I think that’s wrong.

      My comment about America is no ‘barb’ and it’s no evidence of a “probable left wing anti America idealogy”. I like America and have been to America. I only point out that during elections in America political candidates spend hundreds of millions, particularly in the Presidential elections, trying to win voters over. This is so expensive not only because they have to convince them of their policies, but because they have to convince people to come out and vote in the first place.

      I am frustrated by the don’t-give-a-shits too, but I don’t think that means they should be disenfranchised.

    • Steven says:

      11:57am | 10/08/10

      When you’re local MP sends out voting information to you at 17, you fill out one form (Time required: 10 minutes).  When you move house, you fill out one form (Time required: 10 minutes).  You show up at your local primary school, fill out two forms where the only requirement is that you can count to 10, then treat yourself to something from the cake stall (Time required: Less than 1 hour every couple of years).  And this process is too taxing for a Gen-Y voter like myself? Get real!

      Reply

    • Jules says:

      04:56pm | 10/08/10

      Steven, none of your comments address why we shouldn’t have automatic enrolment.  In any way.

    • Tim says:

      10:14pm | 10/08/10

      Not only that, Steven, but they also ignore the efficacy of these systems. The auditor-general’s report on the 2007 election suggested that in-school programs and advertising COMBINED, enrolled around 11,000 voters. This is less than the 25,000 18 year olds (ignoring 19 and 20 year olds who may also not have been enrolled) who missed out due to the close of rolls.

      But this is also hardly the point. You are arguing against apathy, not automatic enrolment. If we KNOW that young people DON’T register, and we also know that there is a comparatively easy way of negotiating this, other than ‘its their fault’ would you like to provide one non-vitriolic argument AGAINST automatic enrolment?

    • sauce bottle says:

      12:29pm | 10/08/10

      Oh I-I-I remember - wayyy back - when I had to enrol for the first time.

      I had to run 27 mile through the desert just to get to the broken glass that i had crawl through to post me form.

      No biros in them days. I had to slit my wrists with a rusty nail and drip blood onto the appropriate tick boxes. Then I had dive in the sea and kill a great white just to get a shark tooth (dipped in my dusty red tears) to sign my name at the bottom.

      Ha - innernet - you youngins have nooo idea….

      Reply

    • kylie says:

      03:38pm | 10/08/10

      i think i love you
      smile

    • Likes Joining Dots says:

      02:20pm | 16/08/10

      sauce bottle, I saw that on You Tube the other day, was that you? Awesome

    • Dan says:

      12:34pm | 10/08/10

      If someone is so disinterested in registering themselves onto the electoral roll- why should they be encouraged to vote? There are enough voters already who wouldn’t have a clue what or who they are voting for. It is time we went the other way and made voting voluntary - after all, complusory voting in a democracy is like screwing for virginity…it is an enathema.

      Reply

    • Jane says:

      12:34pm | 10/08/10

      I would like to know what rock these “youth” have been living under that 1) they didnt know an election would be called soon and 2) that they didnt know the cut off for enrolment.

      It is very obvious that they dont listen to Triple J or ABC or watch ABC or SBS as all these government owned organisations kept reminding people. Its also obvious that they dont read newspapers as there was ads in both the local and the main papers telling people to enrol.

      I even got junk facebook email reminding me to enrol (very amusing since I am in my 30’s so have been enrolled for a while)

      And then there is parental responsibility. Why didnt their parents sit them down and remind them to fill out the form?

      How are we meant to inform our youth of their obligation if all the standard methods from parents to print to radio to the internet was not enough to get the message across?

      Reply

    • Use to vote says:

      12:37pm | 10/08/10

      The whole process to vote is a royal pain…  and no i’m not one of the youth… i am 39 and i have not voted for over 10 years…
      I commute 90 minutes to work and 90 minutes home everyday on Sydneys “world class” rail network… I leave when it is dark and I get home when it is dark. After spending a couple of hours with the kids each night, i repaet the process…. which leaves me the weekend - MY WEEKEND.

      I refuse point blank to go to a state government school plastered with electoral campaigns signs to be set upon by hordes of “staffers” handing out how to vote cards… all the while praying the local council “grey bombers” are not going to leave me a notice for illegal parking in the only spot available 2km’s away… then get handed a bed sheet or two of paper to caste a vote.

      If the tv networks can run shows like “Idol” & “dancing with the stars” that require a simple phone vote…. then why can’t the government do the same utilising phone / web / smart phone technology…..  hang on… won’t the NBN cover 95% of australia….......

      Reply

    • Brian says:

      12:56pm | 10/08/10

      Not a problem. Contact the AEC before the election, ask for a postal vote and do it all from the comfort of your own home.

    • Bron says:

      01:46pm | 10/08/10

      Vote early (ie during the week)-go to aec.gov.au & search for early polling places within walking distance of your work. Lunchtime exercise & voting all in one!

    • TJ says:

      04:45pm | 10/08/10

      it takes like 10 mins when you get in early and then you have the rest of the weekend to do what you want, in my case go back to bed. I too commute 90+ mins from Sydney up to the Central Coast during the week, I get up at 5.30am and home at 8.30pm I love my weekends but I still get my tail out of bed for 10 mins to vote and then get back home and go back to bed

    • MIke says:

      01:16pm | 10/08/10

      The coming election has been known for many months, so those who wish to participate have had ages to do something about it. If some young people are too lazy and stupid to enrol to vote, then tough. Why must we continually baby and prop-up the incompetent, the value of whose votes are clearly questionable given their incapability to do something as simple as enrolling. They had their chance and they blew it. Maybe they’ll learn from it, but I doubt it.

      Reply

    • Mel says:

      01:19pm | 10/08/10

      Part of Social Ed classes when I was 16 (some time ago now) was to fill out an Electoral Enrolment form. The Teacher then collected them all from the class and delivered them personally to the AEC. No one in our school missed out on the right to vote!

      Reply

    • Liberal Voter says:

      01:32pm | 10/08/10

      Surely the more relevant aspect is what happens after you’re enrolled.

      While posting a form in to enrol for the first time may be fine - the far more relevant aspect of the electoral laws is what happens when you change enrolments between elections.

      Young people are the most transient demographic in Australia, frequently moving between the family home, rental properties, College and back home again. Each move is accompanied by a multitude of address changes - Centrelink, University, internet etc, all of which can be updated online.

      But the AEC is empowered only to strike you off the roll, rather than update your details using information from other, trusted Government agencies like Medicare, Centrelink and the RTA.

      So the troubling aspect of these laws is when young people show up to the polling booth on election day, only to be told that they’ve been struck off the roll without being notified.

      NSW and Victoria have both implemented SmartRoll technology - further complicating the matter as voters State enrolments automatically update, while they are struck off the Federal electoral roll.

      Frankly, if it can work at a State level, it can work at a Federal level. It’s time to move to automatic enrolment.

      Reply

    • TJ says:

      04:47pm | 10/08/10

      or just keep your AEC mail going to your parents house like I did and then I voted in their area and had lunch with them before going home.

      If we make it automated then you will get the conspiracy nut jobs whinging about privacy

    • Ian says:

      01:15am | 11/08/10

      TJ, your parents’ local member is not YOUR local member. You clearly don’t understand representative democracy.

    • TJ says:

      10:32am | 11/08/10

      @Ian, nor do I care, I am not interested in politics, I don’t give a damn about them or anything to do with them so why should I care who’s local member I vote for as long as I vote?

    • poa says:

      01:53pm | 10/08/10

      Not being correctly onthe Electoral roll is an offence.
      Penalty $150
      Everyone who does the late enrollment thingy faces the fine.
      Oh..The High Court and Getup didn’t tell you that.
      Thats cos they want the ALP voted back in.

      Reply

    • Brian says:

      02:46pm | 10/08/10

      No, they don’t. In fact, this isn’t just an interpretation or convention of being lenient, but explicitly stated in the law:

      Section 101 (7) of the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918 states,

      “Where a person sends or delivers a claim for enrolment, or for transfer of enrolment, to a Divisional Returning Officer or an Australian Electoral Officer, proceedings shall not be instituted against that person for any offence - committed before the claim was so sent or delivered.”

      Taken from http://www.aec.gov.au/FAQs/Enrolment.htm#not_enrolled_for_xxyears

    • PGS says:

      02:09pm | 10/08/10

      Is it so much laziness - or just that the choices are so pathetic? I won’t vote for either - I actually won’t vote at all. Neither party can be trusted. No politician can be trusted.

      The hidden ‘preference voting’ is a pet-hate. I don’t vote for Tom because I don’t want him in, not because I want to vote for Jack so he can pass them to Fred to pass to Sue to pass to… Ooh look, Tom wound up with the vote I didn’t want him to have.
      Stop ‘preference voting’ & I may consider it next time.

      Reply

    • Aimee says:

      03:23pm | 10/08/10

      Your preferences go to whoever you want them to go to! If you don’t like Tom then put Tom last and he won’t get a single vote from you.

    • Arnold Demster says:

      02:19pm | 10/08/10

      I’d like to un-enrol to cote, is taht even possible. Basically i just turn up on teh day and have my name crossed off then turn around and leave without even touching the ballots. I mean seriously - what’s the point? Either way you are going to get a politician in no matter who you vote for. Not enough people are smart enough to vote for the HEMP party, so really there’s little point in voting. Be honest with yourself and you know this to be true

      Reply

    • Justin says:

      03:28pm | 10/08/10

      Yeah, but think of all those how to vote flyers that you can use instead of Tally-Ho’s.

    • PaulW says:

      02:47pm | 10/08/10

      It would be easy to dismiss these figures as evidence that Australian youth are simply lazy and apathetic. Young people, however, vehemently deny this claim. Instead, they point to the high burden of the current enrolment process, which involves completing and signing a physical enrolment form and sending it to the AEC

      This is satrire isn’t.  No one could be serious when saying that filling in a form is just too darn hard so therefore I can’t enrol to vote.


      many young people assume they are automatically placed on the electoral roll when they turn 18

      Maybe they could ask mummy and daddy how they enrolled to vote instead of sitting back and waiting to taken by the hand up to the polling booth.

      Reply

    • CanBraBoy says:

      02:49pm | 10/08/10

      Most of the commentary, directed at belittling Australian youth, entirely misses the point of the article. 

      Sections 101 and 245 of the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918 make both enrolment and voting in federal elections a compulsory obligations on eligibile electors.  This legislative position embodies an implicit policy decision on the behalf of the Australian people that ‘we’, as Australians, value the electoral input of all eligible electors in the interests of optimising representative democracy.  That those people may be ill-qualified or entirely disinterested in the process is deemed peripheral to our commitment to obtaining the electoral input of all eligibile electors.  This is an electoral manifestation of an Australian interpretation of liberal democracy. 

      Mindful of this context, the point that Mr Antioch makes is entirely valid.  There is a patently obvious logical disconnect in that while we compulsarily require eligible electors to enrol and vote, we do not automatically enrol those voters.  We do not facilitate the very electoral involvement which forms the crux of our electoral system, despite the fact that the AEC has the means to automatically enrol all eligible electors via the Continuous Update Process.  Instead of creating a situation where a eligibility equal s enrolment, we have a reality where we leave the impetus with people, quite possibly disinterested or ignorant, to enrol, and then financially punish them when they do not.  That these people are disinterested or ignorant is not the point.  The point is that they are an eligible elector, Australia has committed to incorporating the electoral contributions of all eligible electors in the interests of optimising representative democracy, and we presently circumvent the achievement of that representative democracy through our enrolment process. Thus, the issue is not about the respective qualities or empowerment of youth - it is about Australia’s espoused commitment to representative democracy.  If we continue to strive a genuinely representative and egalitarian electoral system, we, as a nation, will actively seek to enfranchise the greatest proportion of the population by taking positive action.  We will not simply rely on punitive action when it is all too late.  Automatic enrolment is both a technologically and economically viable solution, which facilitates a continued commitment to Australia’s representative democracy.

      Reply

    • Rowdy says:

      05:26pm | 10/08/10

      @canbraboy….Your 3rd, 4th and 5th line says it all…“Sections 101 and 245 of the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918 make both enrolment and voting in federal elections a compulsory obligations on eligibile electors.”

      Make both enrolement and voting in federal elections a compulsory obligation ON ELIGIBLE ELECTORS…...not on the government/AEC.

      In other words, with the right of the democratic vote comes responsibility…responsibility to obey the law including responsibility to make sure you are enrolled to vote. The onus is on the elector.

      Everything else you have written is waffle.

      ....oh, and it’s all about the vibe…..

    • Ian says:

      01:33am | 11/08/10

      @Rowdy:

      Just because you didn’t understand it doesn’t make it waffle.

      The Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918 (Cth) is just a law. This issue is really about Australia’s Constitution and the representative democracy enshrined within.

      There is a perfectly valid argument that, with all the technological changes since s. 101 was last amended, representative democracy is today best served in Australia through automatic enrolment, and that everything YOU have written about apathy and laziness is waffle that misses the point entirely.

    • Anthony Antioch says:

      02:49pm | 10/08/10

      With respect, the dominant trend of commentary above is irrelevant. Rejecting automatic by asserting that young people are lazy is flawed on two levels.

      Firstly, you cannot apply your generation’s paradigm on another. Due to modern technology, today’s youth have practically no interaction with the postal system. Condemning them as lazy for being averse to mail merely demonstrates a lack of empathy. As was asked previously, what would the public reaction be if enrolment moved exclusively to an online system? It is quite obvious that different methods are required to engage with different demographics.

      Secondly, and more importantly, laziness is not the salient issue. Regardless of whether one agrees with it or not, Australia enforces compulsory voting. Accordingly, it is incumbent upon the government to ensure enrolment is a straightforward and accessible process. This sentiment underpinned the High Court’s recent ruling. By taking the reasonable and realistic step of introducing automatic enrolment, current barriers to youth participation would be eradicated. How is this an undesirable outcome?

      Reply

    • Brian says:

      04:42pm | 10/08/10

      Is downloading a form from a publicly available website, filling it out, signing it and scanning then emailing the form back not ‘straightforward and accessible’?

      I strongly agree with the High Court ruling - enrolment should be available until the last possible moment (beyond which it becomes impossible to process forms, update hard copies of electoral rolls, confirm identity and so on before the election), but automatic enrolment brings with it the risk of fraud and electors being added incorrectly.

    • marley says:

      05:09pm | 10/08/10

      I’m sorry, but however disengaged gen Y may be from interaction with the postal system, it is surely not beyond their learning capacity to deal with it?  To describe printing off a form, stuffing it in an envelope and dropping it in the nearest post box as a “high burden” is frankly ridiculous, and seriously damages the more reasonable aspects of the argument. 

      As to young folks not realizing they have to enrol, well geez, I’m a brand new citizen and I knew that.  Are you telling me that kids who have lived in this country their whole lives, been educated here, and obviously know their way around a computer, don’t know and can’t find what it took me about 3 minutes to locate on the internet?

    • Jonothan says:

      05:42pm | 10/08/10

      Come on Brian, it’s not straightforward and accessible at all. Yours is 4 steps, Anthonys is 0. Anyway, how many youths would have a scanner? Or know how to use it? I think we’ve got to make the whole thing as easy as possible for people, auto enrol does that (and works in other countries/states)

    • The Truth says:

      02:50pm | 10/08/10

      There is no fine for not enrolling to vote after 18. They are hardly going to track you down when they can’t even let you update details online. If you check out the AEC website they indicate that legislation says you cannot be fined if you enroll well after you are 18. I am almost 40 and this will be the first time I will vote. Why? Because up until now I couldn’t give a shit and my vote should not effect those who do. So, who cares if people do not enroll to vote. You would think by the way half of you people have responded on here that young people actually give a shit about politics, let alone know when an election was on. Who watches free to air tv these days? Not me, and I am hardly reading about politics when I go online. There is way too much good porn to waste time with that crap. See you at the polls…

      Reply

    • Gregg says:

      02:53pm | 10/08/10

      Hey Antony, why not get up a movement so
      14 - 20 Years there’s tweeting for the pimples parliament.
      21 - 27 Years there’s twittering for the young adults parliament.
      28 - 35 Years there’s online for the interns parliament .
      Julia will have some set it all up on an ourparliament site and these groups could feed in suggestions to save those 20/20 and community decision making and just like myschool there could be a rating system to get on to the facebookers parliament so as to have no faceless people in the system.
      So 35+ real votes could count.

      Reply

    • Heimdall says:

      03:04pm | 10/08/10

      From recollection it is compulsary to not only enrol to vote but also to notify the AEC of a change of enrolment within 3 months of moving to a new address. Not too onerous a time frame I would have thought.

      Also as noted people can provisionally enrol from 17 this means they are in the system prior to the issuing of the writs and may only need to update their address. A process slightly simpler than getting on the roll in the first place.

      What really frustrates me are the number of people who persist on claiming it is compulsary to vote in Australia. This is not the case. It is compulsary to be enrolled and to attend a polling place to have your name marked off of the roll in an election. It is not compulsary to vote! You do not have to be issued a ballot you can ask not to be given one and as such you do not have to vote.

      Having said that why someone would bother to turn up and then not cast a vote is beyond me but that is your right if you choose to exercise it!?!

      Reply

    • CanBraBoy says:

      04:31pm | 10/08/10

      Section 245(1) Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918:  It shall be the duty of every elector to vote at each election.

      That you opt to vote informally or that sloppy electoral officers will comply with your request not to be issued a ballot paper does not alter the fact that you have a duty to vote.

      Apology accepted.

    • AdamC says:

      04:50pm | 10/08/10

      Thanks, CanBraBoy, it is an urbab myth that you don’t have to vote. You do. Of course, would anyone advocate a change to what Heimdall et al wrongly think is the requirement, that is to make it compulsory only to attend a polling station and not actually vote? It sounds ridiculous because it is.

    • Brian says:

      08:47pm | 10/08/10

      Just to clarify your sentence CanBraBoy: you are legally entitled to make an informal vote - it is still a vote, so please don’t lump it in with the sloppy electoral officers option.

      For that matter, anything which could identify the voter automatically makes the vote informal.

    • Robbo says:

      03:22pm | 10/08/10

      I’m 18 and I got in on time. People who were too lazy to register on time are not the kind of people we want voting.

      If you don’t respect your vote enough to register on time then you really don’t deserve to vote.

      Reply

    • Paracelsus says:

      06:59pm | 10/08/10

      “Not the kind of people we want voting?”

      I’ll allow you some leeway in that you appear to be 18 and therefore young and inexperienced in life, but do you appreciate how many civil rights’ campaigners’ corpses just hit 500 rpm with that remark? How many tears, how much blood was spilled to overcome that attitude?

      Voting is the right of all the people.  Lazy or not, every person has a right to be heard.  Even if they choose not to be heard.  As they said in “Dead Poets’ Society” (course, you might be a little young for that one):

      Student: Exercising the right *not* to walk.
      Teacher: Thank you for demonstrating the whole point of this exercise!

    • Robbo says:

      08:00am | 11/08/10

      You can continue on with your patronising egofest - but it does not change my views one bit.

      No one would be stopping these people voting if they followed the rules. You wouldn’t have a drivers licence if you didn’t follow the rules for that. You wouldn’t have a job if you didn’t look for one.

      Giving people a vote when they have shown total disregard for the democratic process just perpetuates the idea that lazy people have that society owes them everything and expects nothing in return. These people had a minimum of 365 days to register to vote (from their 17th birthday) before the election. They can’t really complain now when time has run out.

    • TJ says:

      03:48pm | 10/08/10

      oh Boo Hoo, you mean they haven’t made it that you can just text to enrol, diddums! the poor dears have to actually fill out a paper form and post it? horror of horrors, they must go to counselling immediately.

      Reply

    • NEFFA says:

      03:57pm | 10/08/10

      when i was 18, my dad gave me the electoral form to fill in and explained the whole voting process to me. do people not have parents anymore?

      Reply

    • Flabbergasted. says:

      04:57pm | 10/08/10

      This point is ridiculous and can be downright offensive to people who are not part of ‘regular’ families.

    • Gregg says:

      11:12pm | 10/08/10

      Well, ir’s not so ridiculous flabby and do not be too offended for the inference is that some parents could just be so slack.
      There’s plenty of other avenues for AEC information to be about and if people do not take an interest, it’s probably no great loss for them not to vote.
      There’s even many mature adults including our own politicians who probably struggle to fully understand the consequences of many policies and so if there are slack parents about as well, they’re likely to be no great loss to determining who the best government would be either.
      If you’re not in a ” regular ” family or popped out from under a cabbage leaf and have an interest that’s fine.

    • Tom says:

      04:02pm | 10/08/10

      For heaven’s sakes everyone. Get Real! Everyone has the right to vote in this country, disenfranchising people, even if they ARE lazy (which most are not, just forgetful and time-poor) is hardly a legitimate option.

      Everyone, even lazy people, get an equal vote in this country.

      Reply

    • Jarrod says:

      04:43pm | 10/08/10

      Too everyone saying “oh, it’s not that hard to post” why don’t you wander down to the postmaster and start telegraphing your vote in by morse code.  That’s how backwards your suggestions sound to anyone who is under 30 (and probably a good deal over).

      Reply

    • Brian says:

      04:56pm | 10/08/10

      What about those saying ‘It’s not that hard to post, but even if you don’t want to post, why not use the fax or email options provided’?

    • TJ says:

      05:13pm | 10/08/10

      I am under 30 and it doesn’t sound like that to me, download, fill out, email or fax, how archaic are those words?

    • marley says:

      05:24pm | 10/08/10

      Let’s see now.  I can pull up the form on the internet, fill it out, and print it , then scan and e-mail it back to the Electoral Commission.  Doesn’t exactly sound like using Morse code to me.  Sure, it would be better if I could just fill it in on line and not have to do the extra step of printing it out and scanning it back in (but then they wouldn’t have a signed document), but I’d hardly equate that to “disenfranchising” a whole generation.

    • Jarrod says:

      10:54am | 11/08/10

      Who the hell owns a fax machine these days?  As for print, fill out and scan, that presumes that you have a scanner at home (again, what would I need one of those for?  I do everything digitally).  It’s a backwards system that makes life harder than it needs to be and there’s no reason to support it.  Prevent people from voting?  Only some.  Inefficient and backwards?  Yes.  Why make something slower, more error prone and more difficult than it needs to be?  Just because you get kicks out of having one last bastion of beureaucratic paper based inefficiency?

    • TJ says:

      12:42pm | 11/08/10

      ah Jarrod that’s why most people do it at work where there are these magical devices called fax machines and scanners, or just go to a newsagency and get them to do it.

    • Ian says:

      02:39pm | 11/08/10

      @Brian:

      Similarly, what about those who are asking for one good reason (just one) why we should not have automatic enrolment? One that does not conveniently ignore the fact that many bureaucratic processes have been moved online already without any problems, that automatic enrolment exists in other jurisdictions without any problems, and that to implement it would undeniably ensure that more eligible voters were permitted to vote (which is the entire point of our representative democracy).

    • Tim says:

      05:01pm | 10/08/10

      Are the comments above a joke?! I mean most of you probably have little to no clue on how to use your PC. (Well I work in IT, so I always assume [Unless I know you] that people are unknowledgeable about their PCs. Short Version, I think everyone I work with can’t use a PC properly.)

      Lets just spin this around. What if we said that all paper based forms were now either banned, or phased out. It was all to be done online or on PCs. i mean everything, from enrolling to vote, to doing your HSC, to writing reports, to invoices, etc.

      Would you complain that we now live in a paperless environment, that we don’t lose anything because of forgetful memories, that we don’t actively have to recycle because we’re not using anything or that we’re saving trees and some of the environment?

      You say we’re lazy, I say your getting old. Very old. Archaic even.

      Online, or Automatic. Either way is fine with me.

      Reply

    • Likes Joining Dots says:

      04:43pm | 16/08/10

      Hi Tim.  You make some interesting but rather contradictory points, so I would like to get this straight.  You are advocating compulsory online or automatic voter registration (which is fine with with you), while also saying that everyone you work with cannot even use a PC.  So, no voting rights for disenfranchised, non PC archaics now ‘stripped of their democratic rights’. Indeed, you have spun this around

    • JJ of Sc says:

      05:23pm | 10/08/10

      What is going on? It’s not 1st Apr is it?
      Talk about dumbing down a generation!

      Reply

    • The Fat Controller says:

      05:29pm | 10/08/10

      The comments of both the author, Anthony Antioch, and the amusingly named ‘CanBraBoy’ are amongst a handful of salient contribution to a largely irrelevant string of commentary marred by verbosity and prejudice.  In essence, the enforcement of compulsory enrolment and voting, semantic/procedural disputes aside, implicitly manifests a normative intention to fully enfranchise all eligible voters so as to optimise the participatory and representative qualities of Australian parliamentary democracy.  Accordingly, the enrolment and voting processes should take all reasonable steps to achieve that aim.  While I would agree that it is not overly onerous to email an enrolment form (or perhaps even account for the exorbitant postage price and post it) the number of voters not already enrolled indicates the relative fallibility of the current approach.  It is therefore appropriate to find reasonable new means to remedy this defect. 

      The author indicates that the AEC already operates a continuous update process.  It seems to me that there is very little avenue for detrimental consequences to result from automatic enrolment.  Such a process would capture the currently marginalised unenrolled eligible populace, simply building on existing investment and expertise.  Moreover, I would suggest to ‘Brian’ and others that such a system is no more susceptible fraud than emailing or posting a form to the AEC.  This is a solution that is both reasonable in terms of resources invested and one that will seemingly remedy the crucial defect in the system as it stands.  Placing aside the relative merits of the contributions made by certain voters, our system places an obligation on each citizen to play their part in the electoral process.  Facilitating increased electoral participation is surely something that Australia must continue to strive for, and automatic enrolment certainly meets that end.

      A great article by someone so sorely in need of a haircut.

      Reply

    • David says:

      05:39pm | 10/08/10

      Its so hard to download/collect from the post office a simple form and mail it off to a reply paid address….
      And yet these whingers can surely book their tickets to Splendour in the grass, Big Day Out, etc with no problem…
      Make registration contigent on receiving Austudy, The Dole etc, and watch them sign up ....

      Reply

    • Pedro says:

      05:44pm | 10/08/10

      just don’t register to vote, I have more friends who are not registered then registered. This election in particular is boring and both parties have massive floors makes me not even want to vote

      Reply

    • Jess says:

      06:01pm | 10/08/10

      How about homeless young people?? They definately have very little chance to do any of this - access technology, have an address, or really much knowledge around it. Sucks for them.

      Reply

    • TJ says:

      03:15pm | 11/08/10

      does indeed suck to be them, they shouldn’t be homeless in the first place then they can vote

    • jess says:

      03:55pm | 11/08/10

      Cos people are homeless by choice? You seriously think that? Take a look around. Talk to some homeless people. Don’t just assume, that makes you look like a tool.

    • TJ says:

      09:59am | 12/08/10

      yeah Jess that was a joke, anyway I would not be bothered to talk to a homeless person, they are dirty and smell really bad.

    • Alice Bimtead says:

      06:25pm | 10/08/10

      It is interesting (and i use that term loosely- disgusted would be more to the point) to hear the views of older generations, or, if you will, the “Today Tonight” generations, with their third-and-fourth hand opinions on the youth of Australia bemoan the laziness of today’s youth in outdated and offensive sterotyping. I enrolled to vote on my 17th birthday, due to a highly political upbringing, whereas those unfortuante teens who miss out on enrolling before the cut-off period are much less at fault then their parents, who are responsible for creating well informed children. Maybe instead of critising a vulnerable sector of society, you could attempt to mend your own poor parenting practises.

      Reply

    • Kate says:

      06:29pm | 10/08/10

      I’m sorry, but if you’re too lazy or stupid to be able to post a letter or remember to change your address, you have bigger problems than worrying about your eligibility to vote.
      It would be easier if there was a way of updating address details online once you’re already enrolled but seriously, the form takes five minutes to complete and there are letterboxes everywhere. It’s really not a challenge.
      @Jarrod: I’m 21 and I don’t think letters are outdated. Again, if you can’t figure out how to post a letter or think it’s too hard, the problem isn’t that you’re too young and ‘with it’ to use such old school methods. It’s that you’re a moron.

      Reply

    • Jarrod says:

      11:05am | 11/08/10

      Jarrod: I’m 21 and I don’t think letters are outdated. Again, if you can’t figure out how to post a letter or think it’s too hard, the problem isn’t that you’re too young and ‘with it’ to use such old school methods. It’s that you’re a moron.

      Oh-ho-ho Kate.  My opinion differs so I’m an idiot.  You have a future in federal politics where the “attack the person, not the argument” is a valid debating method. 

      My point is simply that there is no point in making something more difficult than it need be.  I don’t function in a paper world.  It’s inefficient, error prone and quite frankly, it is archaic (hence my analogy).  I mean, why bother with cars?  Horses work fine.  Why bother with e-banking?  I can wait a week for a cheque to clear (that’s after that awesome postal service everyone is so fond of gets it there after a few days).  Why bother with flying?  A cruise ship only takes a few months to get from here to the other side of the world!

      It’s called progress.  We make things better, faster, more efficient and reliable.  Why are you trying to support an outdated and inefficient system which could easily by fixed?  I’m sure there’s a simple answer that explains why, but hey, I’m a moron, right?

    • Stewart Henstock says:

      06:48pm | 10/08/10

      Polls and focus groups show that Australians 18 - 24 are a crucial voting block on climate change….thank god they all don’t vote.
      It’s easy at that age to insist on a carbon tax when you don’t pay the bills.

      Reply

    • Maree says:

      06:49pm | 10/08/10

      I wonder if it was for your passport to travel would going to a post office be so hard, because to get or renew your passport you do need to do it at a post office. It just comes down to priorities I want to travel I will take the time out to go to the post office but to organise to vote is just an inconvenience for some.

      Reply

    • Jim Holland says:

      07:08pm | 10/08/10

      What a joke, young people are not stupid, and neither are those older people who have watched the decline of our society since the “democratic electoral process” has been hijacked by organised groups. Why would they want to be part of the circus that takes place every time there is an election. When everyone votes for more of the same. If you have so much faith in your democratic electoral process then make voting non-compulsorary and stop the monopoly of our political process by organised groups (or gangs), stop the bull and put the issue to the test. At the end of the day you deserve what you get, and you get what you deserve.

      Jim

      Reply

    • Cliff Maurer says:

      07:18pm | 10/08/10

      Either way it remains someone’s responsibility to ensure that each citizen’s name and residence is placed on the electoral roll allowing them to vote in any ballot after they turn 18. However, that registration does not ensure that they are actually the person who presents, using that name, at the polling place on election day.

      Reply

    • David says:

      07:34pm | 10/08/10

      Maybe some of those young people need to go and live in Zimbabwe where people are beaten up and threatened with death.  These people take for granted what others dearly wish.  I wonder what the people of Zimbabwe and many other nations think of this sob story

      Reply

    • Dr McKay says:

      08:59pm | 10/08/10

      I did mine as soon as I turned 18, that was over 10 years ago.  I was curious so I wen to the AEC website just now.  You can DOWNLOAD the form and post it (post boxes are always open, they are just boxes on the side of the street.) No Postage stamp, you need a printer and an envelope.  Sounds like a real task to fulfill your democratic duty doesn’t it??

      Reply

    • Greg says:

      09:00pm | 10/08/10

      My son is 18, he enrolled soon after turning 18 and can vote.  If these people are that lazy, disinterested or stupid that they don’t enrol in time, then I say great, we don’t want idiots, ignorant and easily manipulated / impressioable people voting.  But labor does, because just like every leftist / socialist party they rely on the easily manipulated / impressionable and inexperience of youth to get their votes (as well as non-english speaking illegal and legal immigrants).  Hitler and Stalin knew this, they brainwashed them in school just as state labor governments do.

      Reply

    • Paul says:

      09:10pm | 10/08/10

      Some of these comments are frightening. Of course it would be slightly more convenient if we could enrol over the net but there would be security issues. Maybe an automatic system like Canada and other have…......however the suggestion that it’s too inconvenient to do this 10 minute task is a joke surely. Are young people really that lazy. I’m only 30 and these kids should have a long look at themselves. So do you all order groceries from the net, find dates online…...Not even worth arguing about.
      Stop making excuses, you can’t be bothered voting and I’m glad you can’t.

      Reply

    • Judy says:

      09:10pm | 10/08/10

      No one’s mentioning the other reason why everyone should be on the electoral roll. Annoying as it can be, as Australian we have a responsibility to sit for jury duty when required. If you’re not on the electoral roll, you’re not on the potential jury duty roll. Jury duty’s not fun but we all have a responsibility to do it, not shirk it.

      Reply

    • Will C says:

      10:55pm | 10/08/10

      Because of the legal nature of enrolling and voting, it is unlikely that to identify an individual, an automatic system could ever be considered reliable. The requirements of enrolling and voting require both name and address and not everyones name ends up on a computer system in combination with their address by the time they turn eighteen. Birth certificates do not have address details and not everyone has a licence or uses Medicare or Centrelink. Bank accounts are private and tax file numbers are not required until you start working. To say that everyone will be automatically enrolled and then to actually have people fall through the cracks in the system would be worse.

      Julia Gillard also rattled on about the election to be called soon for about a week before she did and advised people to enrol who hadn’t already.

      There seems to be a little bit of mistaken information around. Perhaps I can clarify with some facts. I’ll try to steer clear of the legalese as much as possible.

      Voting, enrolment and the election process is a formal procedure as described under the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918. As the law currently stands enrolling to vote requires a signature and delivery to the Electoral Commisioner. To implement online enrolling or voting would require changes to the Act at a minimum.

      16 years of age is the time from which you can request the Electoral Commisioner to enrol you to vote. A few comments have mentioned 17 years however it is 16 years.

      Once your enrolment is accepted you must vote in any election held upon or after you turn 18 years of age.

      For anyone over the age of 18 years that is entitled to enrol to vote in Australia it is compulsory to vote. Legally speaking, getting your name marked off and not filling in a voting form correctly is an offense and is punishable.

      After living at a new address for a period of 1 month. You are required to update your details with the Electoral Commisioner within 21 days.

      Essentially voting in Australia is not a right, rather it is every citizen’s duty.

      There ends the facts.

      If you truly do not want to vote, there is no provision described in the Act to just not vote without committing an offense. For most people to get out of voting without committing an offense would require having already commited an offense, being convicted and serving a sentence on election day.

      There is one idea around the relationship of the Crown, the Country, the Constitution and the democratic foundation of the system of government we have could leave a possibility for those not wanting to vote. This would have to be tested by making a formal request to the highest office of the country, the Governor General, to be absolved of the responsibility of voting. Whether it could work or not I have no idea, I’d assume not. But then, I like to have my vote.

      Reply

    • Jon says:

      10:59pm | 10/08/10

      Now I assume a few of the people who found the forms all to difficult to fill in are educated beyond year 12.  So who sat their exams?
      This is a load of crock - an Australian citizen can enrol from the age of 17.  If as these young people claim they are so interested in our democracy it is beyond belief that they cannot mange to enrol by, or shortly after they turn, 18.

      Reply

    • Rebecca says:

      12:18am | 11/08/10

      Thank you Adam for being so level headed.
      Australia requires one to be enroled to vote. Many of those young unenrolled people and so called ‘lazy people’ we are speaking of are not your average city dweller with access to technology, nor the knowledge to understand they should desire to participate. 70% of the 1.4 million voters not enroled to vote are Indigenous Australians under the age of 25, the majority of whom live in rural areas. So before we are so quick to make judgement calls lets ground a few basic sentiments.
      1. All Australian Citizens over the age of 18 are required by law to cast a vote (even those unenroled- they are legally required to enroll)
      2. Enroling is not difficult it is even simple. However if one were to be disenfranchised in a disadvantaged community, one would not feel empowered to vote and would not necessarily believe their vote is equal to all others. They may also not feel like their vote would make a difference. Making the system easier may encourage those whom are disenfranchised to vote (as is their requirement under the law).
      3. If you have notified another government agency that you have changed address, you may be stricken from the electoral roll without being made aware. This means you may not be aware of this occurence or at least aware in time to print or collect forms and ensure their arrival at the electoral office. This was referrenced a number of times in the High Court Case recently , where people were camping at the time the writs were issued and a friend informed them by telephone that they would have been stricken from the roll.

      Bottom line - this article advocates for the development of a reliable convenient system, that this is not. This form is also not fool proof, one could have witnessed the form incorrectly, one can pick anyone of the street to witness a form and write the incorrect name and address, one can copy a signature and no one would know. The aim is to create a better system - all systems have an element of falability.

      This is not left wing or right wing politics, this is about carrying out what is the current law and the obligations, rights and responsibilities to our utmost abilities.

      Reply

    • Ken says:

      08:30am | 11/08/10

      The young voters put Labor in - Maybe they should wait until they are older to truly get it right!

      Reply

    • Bev says:

      08:57am | 11/08/10

      If you are a patriotic person you will make it your business to enrol when you turn 18.  If you don’t care then don’t bother to enrol at all.  Simple.

      Reply

    • Good thinking says:

      09:21am | 11/08/10

      Going out to vote is too burdensome, it would be simpler to indicate the party you wish to vote for on the enrollment form and cut out all the expense and inconvenience of elections.

      Another good idea would be if everybody just pooled their wages and the Government pay our bills for us and send us the shopping list we email in each week.

      That would make life just so easy.

      Reply

    • Brett says:

      09:53am | 11/08/10

      Well most of us know what “Get Up” stands for…and a predictable outcome from our useless left-leaning High Court.  The result: on the 11th hour of the election, an automatic leg up for Labor with another 100,000 or so ignorant, illinformed voters to help push them over the line.  Pathetic really, but that’s contemporary Australia for you.

      Reply

    • Ian says:

      02:27pm | 11/08/10

      ‘Useless left-leaning High Court’? Would this be the same High Court that decided the Rudd Government’s $900 bonus scheme could not be supported under the taxation power in the Constitution, thereby curtailing federal legislative power to an extent not seen in decades? What a pathetic, pinko decision.

      (Thank you, Brett, for demonstrating that Labor don’t have a monopoly on ignorant, ill-informed voters.)

    • Jono says:

      10:15am | 11/08/10

      I think some (or all) of you have completely missed the point. You can do basically anything on the internet so why not enrol to vote? I am Gen Y. Yes I enrolled to vote when I was 17 and 9 months but found it a bit tedious back in 2007. I don’t think it is a question of whether Gen Y’ers are too lazy but more of a question of the current system we use to enrol to vote. Why waste everyones time? Yours, AEC, Post Office etc. when it can be done online and put straight into the database instead of hiring someone to do it manually.

      I looked at changing my address for this election and yeah the process is stupid to just change your address. My rego and insurance is at my new address because I changed my details on emove which doesn’t give you an option for AEC unfortunately. Why not utilise the technology available?

      Reply

    • Sylasmodean says:

      10:40am | 11/08/10

      “The lack of adequate education concerning the enrolment process serves to perpetuate such misunderstandings.”

      http://www.aec.gov.au/

      Knowledge is power.

      Reply

    • Disenfranchised Gen X Voter says:

      10:44am | 11/08/10

      If some under 18 kid wants to come with me on polling day he can have my vote. Not worth the paper it’s written on. I just normally ruen up and have my name crossed of and then leave without touching the ballot paper. So if someone really does want a vote contact me via the punch. Seriously

      Reply

    • Campbell says:

      12:49pm | 11/08/10

      Automatic and internet enrollment is not about allowing the youth to spend less effort in enrolling, it is about Ease of Access. It is not only the youth that would benefit from these advances; the disabled, elderly, ill, regional people and disadvantaged people would all find it a lot easier to become active participants in our democracy.
      Claims that young people are too lazy to use paper is really quite stupid. There are people of ALL ages who are stupid, ill informed, and uninterested, and yet we don’t pick on them, stop picking on the youth.

      Reply

    • Chalres Van Persie says:

      02:15pm | 11/08/10

      Stupid country, how does a democracy force people to vote in an election where their vote does not even elect the potential prime minister.

      Reply

    • jess says:

      02:44pm | 11/08/10

      You know, before I graduated high school, one of my teachers got my class to fill out enrolment forms and (I’m pretty sure) the school provided the envelopes and we sent them off. So that was our class done.

      Maybe it is one solution? Getting schools on board to help their year 12 cohort to enrol? I know that not everyone completes up to year 12, but at least by doing this, those who are still in school will 1) have enrolled and 2) be made a little aware of elections and what they mean.

      If you watch tv, listen to the radio, read your mail or even just leave your house then you have to be aware there is an election. I am so excited for when it is over, I am over the negative ads.

      Reply

    • Pat McConville says:

      01:14am | 12/08/10

      The Howard Government’s argument for their amendments to electoral laws regarding the Close of Rolls Period revolved around the risk of fraud; a risk that the Parliamentary inquiries held by the Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters following Federal elections had consistently rejected until the 2004 election, at which time the Committee split on the issue.

      No inquiry found any evidence to support the view that Australian election suffer from electoral fraud, but the 2004 inquiry noted their concern at the potential for a lack of double checking by the AEC in the COR Period. The Howard Government second-guessed the AEC’s evidence that, “it would be a backward step to repeal the provision which guarantees electors this seven day period in which to correct their enrolment.”

      I mention all this because there is no evidence that I have seen that or that any of those expressing concern have cited that suggests online enrolment or automatic enrolment have an elevated threat of fraud, nor that a threat of electoral fraud persists in the political culture of Australia. Let’s be honest: if you wanted to defraud our electoral system, it would be pretty easy. But nobody does.

      And I think most people are kind of missing that whole point: the political culture that we have in Australia. It seems to me that we all care about politics. We all want to vote, or to be able to vote, and even when we complain about going to the ballot box on Saturday we still buy a sausage from the Rotary barbeque, grab the kids a balloon, and have a pretty good idea of who we want to represent us when we number the boxes. But most of us don’t really care. I mean, we care, but we don’t care, and we decide who we’re voting for at the last minute and only think about voting when elections are imminent.

      And when we’re shifting flats or buying a house and moving all our worldly possessions or our baby’s crib into a new place, the last thing on our minds is changing our electoral enrolment. Because we don’t care, until we do care. And fair enough too.

      Reply

    • Django says:

      09:16am | 12/08/10

      We have a system of compulsory voting in Australia. Simple as that. It is lazy not to enroll to vote, but there’s no mention in any law that the franchise in Australia should only be extended to people who aren’t lazy.

      The current system of enrollment is unfair to young people, as it relies on a format most of us aren’t entirely comfortable with. Similarly, it’d be unfair to older Australians if enrollment was moved to an online only system.

      At the end of the day, we have a system of compulsory voting in Australia, and automatic enrollment is the logical next step.

      Reply

    • Mark G says:

      01:14pm | 12/08/10

      Have to fill in a form and send it in? That sounds almost as hard as filling in your own preferences (which 95% of voters decide not to do, preferring to let the major parties decide).

      It’s not just young people who are lazy, the majority of voters in general are lazy but our democracy still represents their opinions. The preference system needs tweaking so that people can choose the number of preferences they want to pick in the senate, rather than the 60 or more they need to fill in some states (if they want to vote below the line). The two major parties won’t support change because it’s convenient for them to prevent alternatives - it means they can afford to be incompetent and pander to mob sentiments without fear of alienating more sensible voters (who generally feel they have to choose between the lesser of two evils). Yes most voters are lazy, or even if not, don’t understand the system but if voting is to be compulsory for all the obligation is then to allow even lazy people to express a genuine opinion

      Reply

    • CanberraKid says:

      10:05am | 13/08/10

      As a young person who actively promotes and fights for democracy and who is politically engaged, I think the words ‘high burden’ are ridiculous.

      But moving on from that hyberbolic point I don’t want the average person to think that youth are that apathetic because we aren’t. 100,000 might sound like a shed load of people but the political reality that it is a tiny number of people unequally distributed across seats who’s voting patterns would replicate the outcomes of those 100,000 extra votes anyway, shouldn’t be ignored.

      And maybe it might be slightly undemocratic but surely we don’t want the votes of people who aren’t willing to fill out a form? If anything that’s the crime. Why change a system that expects something of it’s citizenry just so that 100,000 or 0.0045% of the population can idly sit back and be apathetic?

      This whole article and it’s argument is an embarassment to youth.

      Reply

    • Ian says:

      12:33pm | 13/08/10

      Tip for young players: If you’re going to argue for the preservation of a less-than-democratic status quo, don’t start by introducing yourself as somebody ‘who actively promotes and fights for democracy’. It just makes you look ridiculous.

      Your only argument against automatic enrolment is ‘lazy people should not be allowed to vote’. On that basis I suppose you think that we ought to disenfranchise overweight people too? Newsflash: Most swinging voters pay absolutely no attention to politics until an election is called. If they get a vote—and it is entirely right that they do—then so should everyone who is eligible.

    • Peetme says:

      07:16pm | 15/08/10

      Thank goodness there are some people who are able to see through the disenfranchisement nonsense being trumpeted about the closing of electoral rolls. This was at least some attempt to deal with or head off potential fraud. Timely enrolment and filling out the necessary paper work is no harder than filling out a driver’s licence application or renewing your licence when it is due. No doubt many of those finding this process difficult have already had to enroll for further studdy at university etc, so what is the difference or difficulty.
      Speaking of disenfranchisement, where has “Get Up’s” concern been over the antics of Kaiser, Erhman et al when they were busily disenfranchising ALL of us with false enrolmments on behalf of guess what party.

      Reply

    • Gen X says:

      12:58am | 16/08/10

      Where to start, too many points to refute. We tried non-compulsory enrolment and voting in early Federation times. We found it didn’t work and changed. Compulsory enrolment in 1911 and voting in 1925. Aussies were apathetic then as now. So dry your Gen Y eyes, it’s not all about your self-centred whining. Heaven forbid that you go to the onerous task of filling in a form. Ever applied for a passport, or did your mum do it for you? The law says you must be continously enrolled for your permenant residential address, as in, when you move, not waiting till an election is called. If you can’t manage a simple admin task, I sure hope the most you have to worry about is putting your clothes out for your mum to wash. Continuous Roll Update was designed to ‘remind’ people to enrol and send them enrolment forms. Many now though lodge online enrolment updates when they move house. E-mail and fax are fairly popular. The electoral roll is the most accurate database there is of the Australian population. The entitlement to vote relates to your address. No other department, AustPost, Centrelink or Medicare relates a valid address to a person as the electoral roll does. Many of the policies GetUp are pushing have been requested by the AEC previously. The public service doesn’t make law, they only enforce what they are given. You did Gen Y a great disservice and only reinforced stereotypes.

      Reply

    • Likes Joining Dots says:

      01:56pm | 16/08/10

      Now I understand the real reason why this demographic are being squeezed out of the housing market, it’s not house prices at all, it’s all the paperwork that’s just too hard.

      Reply
 
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