COMMONWEALTH ELECTORAL (WAR-TIME).

No. 14 of 1944.

An Act to amend the Commonwealth Electoral (War-time) Act 1940–1943.

[Assented to 5th April, 1944.]

[Date of commencement, 3rd May, 1944.]

BE it enacted by the King’s Most Excellent Majesty, the Senate, and the House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Australia, as follows:—

Short title and citation.

1.—(1.) This Act may be cited as the Commonwealth Electoral (War-time) Act 1944.

(2.) The Commonwealth Electoral (War-time) Act 1940–1943 is in this Act referred to as the Principal Act.

(3.) The Principal Act, as amended by this Act, may be cited as the Commonwealth Electoral (War-time) Act 1940–1944.

Members of the Forces entitled to vote.

2. Section six of the Principal Act is amended by inserting in sub-section (2.) after the word “means”, the words “a person who, being a British subject, is—”.

List of candidates to be posted.

3. Section ten a of the Principal Act is amended—

(a) by inserting, after the words “(if any)”, the words “or, in the case of a Referendum, of the text of the proposed law”; and

(b) by adding at the end thereof the words “or, in the case of a Referendum, to the copy of the text of the proposed law”.

4. After section twenty-three a of the Principal Act the following section is inserted:—

Certain accredited persons and persons engaged on merchant vessels may vote as if they were members of the Forces

“23aa. Notwithstanding anything contained in this or any other Act—

(a) an accredited war correspondent, photographer or member of a broadcasting unit, or a person engaged in providing amenities or welfare services for members of the Forces or performing services for the Defence Force or any part thereof; or

(b) a person engaged in sea-going service on a merchant vessel, whose ordinary place of residence is in Australia and who is a British subject not under the age of twenty-one years and not subject to any of the disqualifications set out in section thirty-nine of the Common- wealth Electoral Act 1918–1940 and who is outside Australia or in Australia north of the twenty-sixth parallel of South Latitude may, at any place where arrangements have been made for members of the Forces to record their votes, vote in accordance with the provisions of this Act, in so far as those provisions are applicable, as if he were a member of the Forces:

Provided that, in the case of a person referred to in paragraph (a) of this section, the functions of a commanding officer and of a commissioned officer as set out in Part II. of this Act may be performed respectively by the commanding officer and the commissioned officers designated by the commanding officer of the unit which that person is accompanying or with which he is associated for the time being:

Provided also that, in the case of a person engaged in sea-going service on a merchant vessel, the functions of a commanding officer and of a commissioned officer as set out in Part II. of this Act may be performed respectively by the captain or other person in charge of the vessel and by any person designated by him.”.