Media Release – Visually Impaired Voting for Local Government Elections

Independent Member for Nelson Meg Webb today called on Premier Jeremy Rockliff to immediately intervene to ensure all visually impaired Tasmanians can vote in local government elections in October.

“The Government must accept its share of responsibility for creating the current mess that sees visually impaired Tasmanians at risk of being disenfranchised during the upcoming local council elections,” Ms Webb said.

“Premier Rockliff must intervene immediately and require his Attorney-General and Local Government Minister to sit down with the Electoral Commission and find a swift solution to ensure all visually impaired Tasmanians can vote in the upcoming local government elections.

“The Local Government Act specifically empowers the Electoral Commissioner to sign off on any appropriate measure to allow visually impaired electors to vote.

“It is now incumbent on the Government to work with the TEC, identify and implement suitable alternatives.”

Ms Webb said the Legislative Council House warned in June the unseemly haste with which the government rammed through legislation to introduce postal compulsory voting for the October local council elections.

“Members said it was undemocratic and poor practice preventing proper scrutiny and consultation. Now the chickens have come home to roost from that arrogant, undemocratic and flawed process.”

Ms Webb said that there was barely a week between the Local Government Minister Nic Street tabling the Bill on May 24, being debated in the House Assembly on May 31 and rushed into the Legislative Council on June 1.

“Despite the Electoral Commission having an established process for polling booth voting processes for State elections, postal compulsory voting is new.

“The Upper House was told these reforms had to be rushed through the parliament without consulting the sector or the broader community, to ensure there was enough time to prepare for the October elections.

“Yet now the unseemly haste of these changes sees Tasmanians at risk of falling through the gaps.”

“It is unacceptable for the Government to sit by and allow Tasmanians be disenfranchised in the upcoming local council elections.

“Government rammed through this unconsulted legislation and now it has the responsibility to ensure all Tasmanians can vote.”

Background information

Section 291 of the Local Government Act 1993 states:

“Assistance to electors: The Electoral Commissioner may approve any procedures that are reasonable and appropriate to assist an elector whose sight is so impaired or who is so physically incapacitated or illiterate that the elector is unable to vote without assistance.”