Thursday, 16 June 2011

The thin edge of the wedge. Time to debate Australia's compulsory voting regime

Australia's electoral Commissions have become the new Government Stasi of Australia.

In Victoria in particular the Chief Commissioner, Steve Tully, has embarked on a campaign of invasive politics to force Australians into registering to vote by accessing confidential data records and automatically registering individuals enrolment. Confidential records held by local councils, VicRoads, Residential Tenancy Tribunal, Local Councils, Educational institutions and other non-disclosed sources have been accessed, collated and stored on the VEC central computer database as p;art of Steve Tully's automatic enrollment system.

Public records such as births and deaths, citizenship and municipal rate notices should be the only source of voter registration entitlement.

So invasive is Steve Tully and his quest to force Australians into registration, Steve Tully has gained access to private government and non government data bases, amassing vast information store to force Australians into registering to vote. Your personal information is being collected, stored and processed on the VEC central database, A database that is not protected or secure or subject to independent review or public monitoring.

Even non Citizens are approached and sent letters demanding that they enroll to vote. The systems put in place by the Tullystatcracy are so invasive they are frightening. There is no proper checks and balances to the processes.

The State Ombudsman has no jurisdiction or right of review over the Victorian Electoral Commission activities. The Commission is beyond account.

The State Parliamentary Electoral Matters Committee has failed to address a number of issues of concern in relation to the Commissions administration. What decisions they have made have been ignored by the Chief Commissioner.

Citizens should have equally the right to vote or not to vote. There should be no compulsion in participating in the political process. If electors do not wish to participate in the electoral process then that is their right to do so. The more the electoral commissions seek to impose compulsion and dominance the more people should oppose them. If the electoral commission can not demonstrate it is responsible and accountable then it should be abolished.

We spend 100 of millions of dollars in duplicating electoral resources between the States and the Commonwealth.10;s of millions of dollars spent developing software programs. Software that more often then not is ineffective or lacking in functionality. In 2006 the VEC claimed that the system failed to back up crucial data files used in the valuation of the results of the election. The VEC failed to put in place proper procedures and the software was incapable of readily exporting data. In 2011 the NSW Electoral Commission specially claimed that it's software also can not export the detailed results of the election data. Software costing millions of dollars doing more or less the same as each other commission has developed and already exists with the Australian Electoral Commission. Money that is effectively wasted.

The time has come to seriously review the administrative, structure and operation of our electoral services. We should have a single electoral authority that is subject to public scrutiny and review. one that is less invasive and less compulsive.

The only source of voter registration entitlements should be the Birth, deaths and marriages certification, citizenship and local council rate notices.

No other sources should be used. Only the federal AEC (and Local Councils in terms of rate payers for municipal elections) should be responsible for coalition of the electoral roles.

Voters should have the right to restrict access to the electoral roll in the same way as voters can opt for a silent telephone number.

WE MUST PUT AND END TO THE INVASIVE COMPUSORY VOTING SYSTEM IN AUSTRALIA

Now is the time to debate and put an end to the invasive policies, Australia must hold a referendum on the question of compulsory voter registration.

Voters are encouraged to write into the Victorian State Parliament and newspapers demanding an end to compulsory totalitarian electoral practices.

Voters must demand that the Ombudsman have jurisdiction and right of to review complaints made against the Electoral Commission

Submission can be forwarded to


The Chairman
Electoral Matters Committee
Victorian State Parliament

Committee Secretary
email: mark.roberts@parliament.vic.gov.au

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