The Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters in now inviting submissions to its inquiry into the 2025 federal election.

Media release issue date: Wednesday, 3 September 2025

The Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters in now inviting submissions to its inquiry into the 2025 federal election. In keeping with previous parliaments, the Committee has been asked to undertake a review of the last federal election. Mr Jerome Laxale MP, Committee Chair, has said that ‘The inquiry plays an important role in ensuring the Australian public have their say in how their elections are run’. ‘We have one of the oldest and most respected democracies on earth. Keeping that standard requires ongoing scrutiny. Matters widely reported during the 2025 election raise serious questions about safety, security and voter experience. Voters, volunteers and officials should never feel intimidated, harassed or have such an experience that they are discouraged from participating at future elections.’ The terms of reference of the inquiry call on the Committee to focus its attention on the following emerging issues: assessment and review of the purported increase in incidents of aggressive conduct, deliberate obstruction, and intimidating behaviour towards voters, political participants, volunteers, and Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) officials potential reform of safety and security arrangements, including consideration of the powers, processes, and capacity of the AEC to manage and address increasingly threatening or disruptive behaviour reforms to address the ongoing threats of interference in our electoral system, both foreign and domestic, and the composition of the parliament as a whole; including the length of the parliamentary term, the potential for fixed terms, and the number of elected representatives relative to the growth in population and the electorate. The full terms of reference for the inquiry and are also available on the inquiry webpage. Submissions addressing any or all of the terms of reference are now invited, prior to the Committee commencing public hearings in mid-October. The Committee will further announce its program of public hearings as the inquiry progresses. All relevant information will be available from the Committee website. Media enquiries Madelaine Knight, Office of Jerome Laxale MP madelaine@jeromelaxale.com 0466 901 862 For background information Committee Secretariat 02 6277 2374 EM@aph.gov.au For more information about this Committee, you can visit its website www.aph.gov.au/em. On the site, you can make a submission to an inquiry, read other submissions, and get details for upcoming public hearings. You can also track the Committee and receive email updates by clicking on the blue ‘Track Committee’ button in the bottom right hand corner of the page.