Taking Electoral Integrity Forward

Jointly held by the WA and ACT chapters of the ERRN, the idea for this webinar was prompted by the introduction by Kate Chaney MP of a Private Member’s Bill entitled Electoral Legislation Amendment (Restoring Trust) Bill 2023. The Bill is quite unusual in that it deals with a wide range of issues relating to the electoral process including limits on government-funded “political” advertising in the runup to a federal election. It contains much that is thought-provoking. A number of the issues go beyond what have typically been seen as within the ambit of electoral regulation; for example, it proposes limits on government-funded “political” advertising in the runup to a federal election.

The webinar will cover the following topics:

• truth in advertising;
• bans on donations from government contractors;
• limiting government advertising before elections;
• removing parties’ exemptions from the Privacy Act;
• the distribution of postal voting applications, and
• the role of political staffers.

Presenters

• Kate Chaney MP is Western Australia’s first female Independent Member of the House of Representatives. She represents the federal electorate of Curtin.
• Mr Phil Green, former Electoral Commissioner for the ACT.  Phillip served as the ACT Electoral Commissioner from 1994 to 2017. Phil was instrumental in the drafting and development of the ACT’s electoral legislation throughout this period.
• Chair: Mr Michael Maley, former Director of International Services at the Australian Electoral Commission. Michael had a thirty-year career at the AEC, retiring in 2012 as Special Adviser, Electoral Reform and International Services.