Information provided to the Australian Electoral Commission by individuals thinking about standing as a candidate for the Commonwealth Parliament will be reviewed by federal Parliament’s Electoral Matters Committee via a new inquiry into the qualification checklist relating to eligibility 3 under section 44 of the Australian Constitution.

Media release issue date: Monday, 1 November 2021

Information provided to the Australian Electoral Commission by individuals thinking about standing as a candidate for the Commonwealth Parliament will be reviewed by federal Parliament’s Electoral Matters Committee via a new inquiry into the qualification checklist relating to eligibility 3 under section 44 of the Australian Constitution. The proposed Checklist responds to Recommendation 1 of the Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters' Report on the conduct of the 2019 federal election. Committee Chair Senator James McGrath said that ‘although the candidate checklist worked well in the 2019 election, there were some critical elements, such as requiring information on a candidates date and country of birth, that were not required as mandatory data. This information is highly relevant to ascertaining a candidate’s citizenship status.’ ‘It is important to examine the proposed amendments to the Candidate Qualification Checklist and ensure there is adequate time to incorporate any revisions before the next election’, Senator McGrath said. The Committee invites written submissions addressing any or all of the Candidate Qualification Checklist exposure draft which can be obtained from the Committee’s website. Submissions are requested by 8 November 2021. Information on how to make a submission may be found at the following link. Media inquiries Charles Harris Office of Senator the Hon James McGrath (07) 5441 1800 For background information Committee Secretariat 02 6277 2374 em@aph.gov.au