Electoral Legislation Amendment (Miscellaneous Measures) Regulations 2021

I, General the Honourable David Hurley AC DSC (Retd), Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia, acting with the advice of the Federal Executive Council, make the following regulations.

Dated 15 April 2021

David Hurley

Governor-General

By His Excellency’s Command

Ben Morton

Assistant Minister for Electoral Matters
Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Finance

Contents

1 Name

2 Commencement

3 Authority

4 Schedules

Schedule 1—Amendments

Electoral and Referendum Regulation 2016

Electronic Transactions Regulations 2020

1  Name

  This instrument is the Electoral Legislation Amendment (Miscellaneous Measures) Regulations 2021.

2  Commencement

 (1) Each provision of this instrument specified in column 1 of the table commences, or is taken to have commenced, in accordance with column 2 of the table. Any other statement in column 2 has effect according to its terms.

Note: This table relates only to the provisions of this instrument as originally made. It will not be amended to deal with any later amendments of this instrument.

 (2) Any information in column 3 of the table is not part of this instrument. Information may be inserted in this column, or information in it may be edited, in any published version of this instrument.

3  Authority

  This instrument is made under the following:

 (a) the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918;

 (b) the Referendum (Machinery Provisions) Act 1984;

 (c) the Electronic Transactions Act 1999.

4  Schedules

  Each instrument that is specified in a Schedule to this instrument is amended or repealed as set out in the applicable items in the Schedule concerned, and any other item in a Schedule to this instrument has effect according to its terms.

Schedule 1—Amendments

Electoral and Referendum Regulation 2016

1  Section 5 (definition of electronically assisted voting method)

Omit “sight‑impaired”, substitute “electronically assisted”.

2  Section 5

Insert:

registered electronically assisted voter means:

 (a) a sight‑impaired person; or

 (b) an Antarctic elector;

who is registered with the Electoral Commissioner for the purpose of voting by an electronically assisted vote.

3  Section 5 (definition of registered sight‑impaired voter)

Repeal the definition.

4  Division 1A of Part 4

Repeal the Division.

5  Division 1 of Part 4 (heading)

Omit “for sight‑impaired people”.

6  Subsection 15(1)

Repeal the subsection, substitute:

 (1) The Electoral Commissioner must make arrangements for the establishment of one or more call centres to receive telephone calls from sight‑impaired persons or Antarctic electors who wish to:

 (a) register for the purpose of being eligible to vote by an electronically assisted vote; or

 (b) vote by an electronically assisted vote.

7  Paragraph 15(2)(a)

After “person”, insert “or Antarctic elector”.

8  Paragraph 15(2)(b)

Omit “sight‑impaired”, substitute “electronically assisted”.

9  Subsection 15(2) (example)

After “person”, insert “or Antarctic elector”.

10  Paragraph 16(1)(a)

Omit “sight‑impaired”, substitute “electronically assisted”.

11  Paragraph 16(1)(b)

Omit “sight‑impaired”, substitute “electronically assisted”.

12  Subsection 16(1) (note)

After “sight‑impaired”, insert “or an Antarctic elector”.

13  Subsections 16(2) and (3)

Omit “sight‑impaired”, substitute “electronically assisted”.

14  Subsection 16(4)

Omit “sight‑impaired”, substitute “electronically assisted”.

15  Subsection 17(1)

Omit “sight‑impaired” (wherever occurring), substitute “electronically assisted”.

16  Paragraph 17(2)(c)

Omit “sight‑impaired”, substitute “electronically assisted”.

17  Paragraph 17(3)(b)

Omit “sight‑impaired” (wherever occurring), substitute “electronically assisted”.

18  Subparagraph 17(3)(i)(i)

Omit “sight‑impaired”, substitute “electronically assisted”.

19  Subsection 18(1)

Omit “sight‑impaired”, substitute “electronically assisted”.

20  Subsection 18(2)

Omit “sight‑impaired”, substitute “electronically assisted”.

21  Section 19 (heading)

Omit “sight‑impaired”, substitute “electronically assisted”.

22  Subsections 19(1) and (2)

Omit “sight‑impaired”, substitute “electronically assisted”.

23  At the end of paragraphs 24(2)(d) and (3)(d)

Add “or Antarctic elector”.

24  Schedule 3

Repeal the Schedule.

Electronic Transactions Regulations 2020

25  Clause 1 of Schedule 1 (table item 19)

Omit “and (5));”, substitute “and (5))”.

26  Clause 1 of Schedule 1 (table item 19)

Omit “(e) Part XVII”.

27  Clause 1 of Schedule 1 (table item 78)

Omit “, IVA and V”, substitute “and IVA”.