House of Representatives Committees

Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters

1998 Federal Election and Matters Related Thereto
Media Releases

Media release, 21 May 1999

ELECTORAL MATTERS COMMITTEE TO HOLD HEARING IN DARWIN

A hearing into the concerns of Northern Territory residents on the way in which the federal election was conducted in the Northern Territory last year will be held by the Electoral Matters Committee on Friday morning.

Committee Chairman, Mr Gary Nairn MP, Member for Eden-Monaro, said 'The Committee has received several submissions from residents of the Territory and other parties with an interest in Territory electoral issues.'

He said that 'Matters that have been raised with the Committee include:
assisted voting;
the use of mobile polling booths and the running of those booths;
the scrutiny process;
the admissibility of provisional votes;
staff employed by the AEC as polling assistants;
misuse of electoral roll data; and
the use of legitimate ballot papers.'
Appearing before the Committee will be a member of the public; a Senate candidate; Mr Warren Snowden MP (Member for the Northern Territory); and representatives of the Country Liberal Party.

The Committee plans to use the hearing, an AEC demonstration of the provisional declaration scrutiny system, and inspections of remote mobile polling booth locations and operations to clarify first hand many of the matters raised,' said Mr Nairn.

'Following deliberations on these matters and further hearings, the Committee expects to deliver its report on the election to the Parliament late this year.'

Ends
18 May 1999
Further information: Gary Nairn MP (Chair) 02 - 6277 4939 (Parliament House)
Bev Forbes (Secretary) 02 - 6277 2374

PROGRAM : PUBLIC HEARING, DARWIN

FRIDAY 21 MAY

8.30 - 9.30 am Demonstration of provisional declaration scrutiny system - screen based system, AEC

Public Hearing

Litchfield Room
Parliament House
Darwin

9.30 - 9.50 am Mr Matt Coffey
9.50 - 10.10 am Mr Lex Martin
10.10 - 10.40 am The Hon Warren Snowden MP, Member for the Northern Territory
10.45 - 12.00 noon Northern Territory Country Liberal Party

Membership of the Committee

Mr Gary Nairn MP (Chair)
Mr Laurie Ferguson MP (Deputy Chair)
Senator Andrew Bartlett
Senator the Hon. John Faulkner
Senator Ross Lightfoot
Senator Andrew Murray
Senator Karen Synon
Mr Michael Danby MP
Mr John Forrest MP
Hon. Alex Somlyay MP

Inquiry into the Conduct of the 1998 Federal Election and matters related thereto : Terms of Reference

On 10 December 1998 the Special Minister of State, Senator the Hon. Chris Ellison, referred the following to the Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters:

"That the Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters inquire into and report on all aspects of the conduct of the 1998 federal election and matters related thereto."

The terms of reference for an election inquiry are generally very broad, allowing the Committee to focus on those issues which are considered most pressing by the Committee and the respondents to the inquiry.