The Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters will be holding hearings in Adelaide on 4 and 5 May 2026 as part of its inquiry into the 2025 Federal Election.

Media release issue date: Friday, 17 April 2026

The Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters will be holding hearings in Adelaide on 4 and 5 May 2026 as part of its inquiry into the 2025 Federal Election. The Committee Chair, Mr Jerome Laxale MP said, ‘People across Australia have told the Committee about their experiences of aggressive and confrontational behaviour at polling booths. Hearing about these experiences contributes to the Committee’s efforts to ensure voting at the next election is the peaceful expression of civic pride it should be.’ ‘When the Committee visits Adelaide, South Australians are encouraged to talk about their own experiences of the 2025 federal election. The evidence gathered will inform the Committee’s efforts to prevent poor behaviour at future federal elections’, said Mr Laxale. To register your interest in making a 5 minute statement at upcoming hearings, contact the Committee Secretariat at em@aph.gov.au. The Committee also expects to discuss South Australia’s landmark Truth in Political Advertising laws, to assess whether similar laws should apply to federal elections. Further information on the 2025 election inquiry can be found at the inquiry webpage. Committee details can be found at the Committee’s webpage. Public hearing details Date: Monday 4 May and Tuesday 5 May 2026 Location: Hotel Grand Chancellor, 65 Hindley St, Adelaide SA 5000 Programs for these upcoming hearings will be advertised on the Committee’s public hearings webpage as they are finalised. The hearing will be broadcast live at aph.gov.au/live. Media inquiries Michael Butterworth, Office of Jerome Laxale MP michael@jeromelaxale.com 0413 944 475 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.

The Electoral Matters Committee will be conducting public hearings in Hobart and Devonport as part of its inquiry into the 2025 federal election.

Media release issue date: Thursday, 19 March 2026

The Electoral Matters Committee will be conducting public hearings in Hobart and Devonport as part of its inquiry into the 2025 federal election. The Committee Chair, Mr Jerome Laxale MP said, ‘Australian polling booths are the envy of the world as welcoming places of civic participation and good-natured competition. Yet for many voters and campaigners, the 2025 election was one of the most unpleasant and confronting in their memory.’ ‘During this inquiry, the Committee has taken the time to listen to ordinary Australians make statements about their experiences at the 2025 federal election. These valuable experiences will contribute to the Committee’s work of restoring the overwhelmingly positive experience Australians have when voting’, said Mr Laxale. The Committee will be holding hearings in Hobart on 28 April 2026 and in Devonport on 29 April 2026. To register your interest in making a 5 minute statement at upcoming hearings, contact the Committee Secretariat at em@aph.gov.au. ‘The Committee is also expected to take evidence on Tasmania’s approach to administering polling booths at state elections, and the views of Tasmanians on expanding the size of the Australian Parliament,’ said Mr Laxale. Further information on the 2025 election inquiry can be found at the inquiry webpage. Committee details can be found at the Committee’s webpage. Public hearing details Date: Tuesday, 28 April 2026 Location: Parliament House, Parliament Square, Hobart Date: Wednesday, 29 April 2026 Location: paranaple Convention Centre, 137 Rooke Street, Devonport Programs for these upcoming hearings will be advertised on the Committee’s public hearings webpage as they are finalised. The hearing will be broadcast live at aph.gov.au/live. Media inquiries Michael Butterworth, Office of Jerome Laxale MP michael@jeromelaxale.com 0413 944 475 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.

The Electoral Matters Committee is reopening written submissions and inviting community input on the 2025 federal election at its upcoming hearings.

Media release issue date: Tuesday, 2 December 2025

The Electoral Matters Committee is reopening written submissions and inviting community input on the 2025 federal election at its upcoming hearings. The Committee Chair, Mr Jerome Laxale MP said, ‘We have learnt a great deal from the personal submissions and statements we have received to date, but we know there is still much more left to hear. We want to continue to hear from community members and organisations about their experience of the 2025 federal election.’ ‘In response to community feedback, the Committee has resolved to continue to receive written submissions until 28 February 2026.’ said Mr Laxale. The Committee will now be holding hearings in Ipswich on 11 December 2025. As part of these hearings, members of the public will be invited to get on the record by making short verbal statements of up to 5 minutes. ‘Experiences from individuals involved in the 2025 federal election are essential to shaping the Committees priorities. Your perspective offers valuable clarity on where our efforts should be focused. If you would like to address the Committee, please tell us a bit about how you participated in the election and what you would like to talk to the Committee about.’ said Mr Laxale. To register your interest in making a statement at upcoming hearings, contact the Committee Secretariat at em@aph.gov.au. Further information on the 2025 election inquiry can be found at the inquiry webpage. Committee details can be found at the Committee’s webpage. Public hearing details Date: Thursday, 11 December 2025 Location: North Ipswich Reserve Function Centre, 2B Pine Street, North Ipswich, Queensland 4305 Programs for these upcoming hearings will be advertised on the Committee’s public hearings webpage as they are finalised. The hearing will be broadcast live at aph.gov.au/live. Media inquiries 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.

The Electoral Matters Committee is inviting community input on the 2025 federal election at its upcoming hearings.

Media release issue date: Friday, 21 November 2025

The Electoral Matters Committee is inviting community input on the 2025 federal election at its upcoming hearings. The Committee Chair, Mr Jerome Laxale MP said, ‘We have already learnt so much from the candid submissions and statements we have received. As the Committee makes its final trip of the year to Queensland, our focus remains clear: we want to hear from community members about their experience of the 2025 federal election.’ The Committee will be holding hearings in Brisbane (10 December 2025). As part of these hearings, members of the public will be invited to get on the record by making short verbal statements of up to 5 minutes. ‘Your insights, concerns, and lived experiences of the 2025 federal election are essential to shaping the work of the Committee. Community statements are essential to helping us understand what change is needed. If you want to speak to the Committee, you just need to tell us how you participated in the election and what you would like to talk to the Committee about.’ said Mr Laxale. To register your interest in making a statement at upcoming hearings, contact the Committee Secretariat at em@aph.gov.au. Further information on the 2025 election inquiry can be found at the inquiry webpage. Committee details can be found at the Committee’s webpage. Public hearing details Date: Wednesday, 10 December 2025 Location: Hotel Grand Chancellor, 23 Leichhardt Street, Spring Hill QLD 4000 Programs for these upcoming hearings will be advertised on the Committee’s public hearings webpage as they are finalised. The hearing will be broadcast live at aph.gov.au/live. Media inquiries 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.

The Electoral Matters Committee is inviting community input on the 2025 federal election at its upcoming hearings.

Media release issue date: Thursday, 6 November 2025

The Electoral Matters Committee is inviting community input on the 2025 federal election at its upcoming hearings. The Committee Chair, Mr Jerome Laxale MP said, ‘I’m excited to be bringing these hearings home to New South Wales. The Committee has already learned a lot from some of the eye-opening submissions coming out of the State. We really want to keep hearing from community members about their experiences during the 2025 federal election. These community statements can tell you so much about how our elections can leave an impact on people’s lives’. The Committee will be holding hearings in Dapto (19 November 2025) and Parramatta (20 November 2025). As part of these hearings, members of the public will be invited to get on the record by making short verbal statements of up to 5 minutes. ‘We want to hear from you about your 2025 election experience, whether you have put in a submission or not. You will just need to tell us what you wish to talk to the Committee about and a bit about how you participated in the election. The more people we hear from on the day, the better informed the Committee will be.’ said Mr Laxale. To register your interest in making a statement at upcoming hearings, contact the Committee Secretariat at em@aph.gov.au. Further information on the 2025 election inquiry can be found at the inquiry webpage. Committee details can be found at the Committee’s webpage. Public hearing details Date: Wednesday, 19 November 2025 Location: Berkeley Neighbourhood Centre, 40 Winnima Way, Berkeley NSW 2506 Date: Thursday, 20 November 2025 Location: Mantra Parramatta, Cnr Parkes St and Valentine Ave, Parramatta NSW 2150 Programs for these upcoming hearings will be advertised on the Committee’s public hearings webpage as they are finalised. The hearing will be broadcast live at aph.gov.au/live. Media inquiries 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.

The Electoral Matters Committee is inviting community input on the 2025 federal election at its upcoming hearings. The Committee wants to keep hearing from community members about their experiences participating in the 2025 Federal Election.

Media release issue date: Wednesday, 29 October 2025

The Electoral Matters Committee is inviting community input on the 2025 federal election at its upcoming hearings. The Committee Chair, Mr Jerome Laxale MP said, ‘Aggressive conduct at polling booths has been the biggest issue in our early submissions. The Committee wants to keep hearing from community members about their experiences participating in the 2025 Federal Election, and to use this information to shape our upcoming hearing.’ The Committee will be holding hearings in Melbourne (12 November 2025) and Bendigo (13 November 2025). As part of these hearing members of the public will be invited to get on the record by making short verbal statements of up to 5 minutes. ‘You don’t need to have put in a submission to register your interest, you just need to tell us what you want to talk about and a bit about how you participated in the election. We might not be able to hear from everyone on the day, but we want to hear from as many people as we can.’ said Mr Laxale. To register your interest in making a statement at upcoming hearings, contact the Committee Secretariat at em@aph.gov.au. Further information on the 2025 election inquiry can be found at the inquiry webpage. Committee details can be found at the Committee’s webpage. Public hearing details Date: Wednesday, 12 November 2025 Location: Kew Court House, 188 High St, Kew VIC 3101 Date: Thursday, 13 November 2025 Location: All Seasons Resort Hotel, 171/183 McIvor Hwy, Strathdale VIC 3550 Programs for these upcoming hearings will be advertised on the Committee’s public hearings webpage as they are finalised. The hearing will be broadcast live at aph.gov.au/live. 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. 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.

The Electoral Matters Committee will continue its program of public hearings as part of the review into the 2025 Federal Election

Media release issue date: Wednesday, 29 October 2025

The Electoral Matters Committee will continue its program of public hearings as part of the review into the 2025 Federal Election. On 31 October in Canberra, the Committee will hear from several stakeholders in its election review, including the Electoral Integrity Assurance Taskforce, Global Shield Australia and Prof Kim Rubenstein. On 7 November in Canberra, the Committee will hear from political participants; including members and senators. The Committee will begin interstate hearings later this year and early into next year, starting with dates in Melbourne (Kew Court House on 12 November) and Bendigo (All Seasons Resort Hotel on 13 November). Committee Chair, Mr Jerome Laxale MP said, ‘We are keen to hear views from voters and other election participants as we visit places around Australia. We encourage anyone who is interested in speaking with the Committee on 12 or 13 November to register their interest as soon as possible. Information is available from the Committee website’. Mr Laxale said, ‘Now that hearings are underway, we are also keen to get as many written submissions into the public domain as possible—while late submissions can be accepted, we hope that the majority of individuals and organisations can get their views to us by 14 November.’ In the meantime, the Committee has commenced closely reviewing the submissions provided to date, and is publishing them on the inquiry webpage. ‘The Committee has given careful consideration to ensuring that people can freely express their views, while also balancing the implications of adversely naming specific individuals or candidates’, Mr Laxale said. Further information on the 2025 election inquiry can be found at the inquiry webpage. Committee details can be found at the Committee’s webpage. Public hearing details Date: Friday, 31 October 2025 Time: 9.00 am to 3.30 pm Location: Committee Room 1R4, Parliament House, Canberra 9.00 am–9.30 am:        Global Shield Australia 9.30 am–10.00 am:      Professor Kim Rubenstein 10.00 am–11.00 am:    Electoral Integrity Assurance Taskforce 11.00 am–11.15 am:    Break 11.15 am–1.00 pm:      Electoral Integrity Assurance Taskforce 1.00pm:                         Adjournment The hearing will be broadcast live at aph.gov.au/live. 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. 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.

The Electoral Matters Committee will hold its first hearing as part of the review into the 2025 Federal Election on 15 October 2025.

Media release issue date: Tuesday, 14 October 2025

The Electoral Matters Committee will hold its first hearing as part of the review into the 2025 Federal Election on 15 October 2025. The Committee Chair, Jerome Laxale MP said, ‘The Committee will be hearing from the Australian Electoral Commission to begin with. I anticipate discussion will focus on aggressive conduct at polling booths and how the AEC can respond, which has been the biggest issue in early submissions. Aggressive conduct is a direct threat to universal voter access.’ ‘The Committee will also question whether the authorisation of political messages is adequate in the current environment. Proper authorisation is a key safeguard in political communication. An elector should always know who is responsible for the messages they see,’ Mr Laxale continued. The Committee will also hear from other organisations and experts, including the Australia Institute and the Grattan Institute. ‘The Committee is expected to hold further hearings in Canberra, as well some interstate hearings before the end of the year,’ Mr Laxale said. Further information on the 2025 Election Inquiry can be found at the Inquiry webpage. Committee details can be found at the Committee’s webpage. Public hearing details Date: Wednesday, 15 October 2025 Time: 9.00 am to 4.30 pm Location: Committee Room 2R1, Parliament House, Canberra 9.00 am–10.45 am: Australian Electoral Commission 1.30 pm–2.00 pm: The Hon Bob McMullan 2.00 pm–2.30 pm: Dr Jill Sheppard 2.30 pm–3.00 pm: The Australia Institute 3.30 pm–4.00 pm: Grattan Institute 4.00 pm–4.30 pm: Professor Emerita Anne Twomey 4.30 pm: Adjournment The hearing will be broadcast live at aph.gov.au/live. Media inquiries 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. 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.

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.