The Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) has launched a month-long campaign aimed at encouraging First Nations Australians to enrol to vote.
Electoral Commissioner Tom Rogers said there were an estimated 101,000 Indigenous Australians who were not enrolled, and the initiative aimed to address the gap across the the country.
“Australia’s estimated Indigenous enrolment rate of 81.7 per cent is the highest it’s ever been, but we’re not going to be satisfied until we’ve closed the gap with the broader national enrolment rate,” Mr Rogers said.
“There is clearly the likelihood of a referendum soon with a topic specific to First Nations Australians, making high levels of enrolment and engagement even more important.
“Given its importance, I’ve asked the deputy Electoral Commissioner, and the AEC’s Indigenous Champion, Mr Jeff Pope to lead the agency’s continued efforts to have First Nations participation as high as it can possibly be.”
Mr Pope said the AEC had seen the largest rise in estimated First Nations enrolment occur in the past year.
“It is critical that enrolment for all Australians is as high as possible for the proposed federal referendum but this is also a body of work the AEC has been focusing on for many years, and that’s reflected in the roll growth.”
Advertising for the campaign will run on First Nations-focused radio, online media and television between now and mid-December, including in Hume and Whittlesea.
To remove enrolment barriers, the AEC has simplified the enrolment process for voters without an accepted identification document. In the past, voters without ID had to print a form and have an enrolled voter vouch for their identity in writing.
“We’ve listened to feedback from voters that this was cumbersome and a barrier to enrolling,” Mr Rogers said.
“Now, you’ll be able to have an enrolled voter vouch for your identity entirely online – no printer required.”
The AEC said future updates to the system would provide an additional flexibility for enrolled voters who were not physically present with people enrolling or updating their enrolment.
