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committee's report 

The committee tabled its report on 2 March 2000.

View:     Report No 19 – Implications of the new Commonwealth enrolment requirements
View:     Government Response

Overview

This inquiry stemmed from the Committee's inquiry into Queensland electoral reform and primarily concerns one of the issues raised by the Electoral Commissioner in his October 1999 letter to the Attorney-General following the 1998 State election, namely the electoral enrolment requirements brought about by the 1999 amendments to the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918.

The Electoral Commissioners advice was that the Commonwealth amendments placed hurdles before people seeking to enrol for the first time, leading to the possible disenfranchisement of Queenslanders. Due to the provision in the Electoral Act 1992 (Qld) for the automatic inclusion of Commonwealth enrolments on the State electoral roll, if Queensland did not accept the Commonwealth changes to enrolment on the state electoral roll the Electoral Act 1992 (Qld) would require amendment. 

The Committee considered these matters were sufficiently pressing to warrant Parliament’s immediate attention.