Wednesday, 6 April 2022

Electoral Matters Committee

Inquiry into Whether Victoria Should Participate in a National Electoral Roll Platform

Dr CUMMING (Western Metropolitan) (17:04): I rise to speak on the report on the inquiry into whether Victoria should participate in a national electoral roll platform. This is a very short report with only five findings and four recommendations. I am by no means downplaying the work of the committee, but in some ways the report is probably a little premature. The national electoral roll platform is still in concept phase, so until such time as a software design and governance arrangements are finalised a decision to move to a national platform cannot be made.

It was interesting to see that Victoria and Western Australia are the only two states that maintain their own register of enrolled voters. All other states and territories rely on the Australian Electoral Commission register for state and local council elections. Now, several things in the report are of concern to me, firstly that the Electoral Act 2002 lacks clarity about the data that can be stored in the register and the Victorian Electoral Commission (VEC) has not disclosed the full details of the data that it stores. Since members of Parliament and political parties are provided with this information, I think it is important that everyone is aware of exactly what data is being stored, so I am happy to see the recommendation that the act should specify what data must and may be stored for each elector. The report quotes the ACT’s Electoral Act 1992 and particulars that must or may be contained in the roll. Now, I think we need to be very cautious in what information we do store. Always, no matter what regulations are put in place, the information can get into the wrong hands, to enable someone to find a partner or a victim and subject them to further abuse. We need to make sure that the information that is collected is essential to the electoral roll, not information collected for marketing purposes.

That brings me to my second point of concern, and that is the disclosure of information. The act gives the VEC the discretion to provide a list of electors and their particulars to any person or organisation on request. They can only do so if:

… the public interest in providing the … information outweighs the public interest in protecting the privacy of personal information in the particular circumstances.

In the last year the data was provided to the Adoption Information Service, the Victorian Assisted Reproductive Treatment Authority and BreastScreen, amongst others. Previously it has been only provided to the Cancer Council and Anglicare. Now, while I see certainly some benefits in providing it to BreastScreen and the Cancer Council, I do question the use of the electoral roll by other organisations for what I can only assume could possibly be marketing purposes. Again, this opens the possibility of information getting into the wrong hands.

There is another matter that I would like to add for consideration regarding the electoral roll, and that is proof of identity when voting. We all know that some people move from booth to booth, voting under different names. This needs to stop. ID should be provided when you vote and before you get your ballot paper.

I hope that the government accepts the recommendations of the report and makes the necessary changes to the Electoral Act, but I hope that they also seriously consider what data is collected and who can have access to that data, that they make it safe and that rather than paying lip-service to this report they go ahead, do some actions and make moves towards looking at a fairer system here in Victoria, which I believe is providing your proof of ID when you vote.

Mr Davis: On a point of order, Acting President, I notice a new and different approach has been adopted to the list of the reports tonight, and the new and different approach seems to be that the President has adopted the list as it is put on the blue. That has never been the case previously. If it is a new change, the President perhaps needs to announce that, that is all. That has worked to the significant disadvantage of some in the chamber.

The ACTING PRESIDENT (Ms Patten): Thanks, Mr Davis. This was under instruction from the President, so we will take it on notice and we will raise it with the President and get him to give a ruling tomorrow.

Dr CUMMING: Acting President, for me, who has pretty much every Wednesday spoken on a report, it is not always the case that we go by the daily blue. I normally a week in advance am sent a list, so I do not understand the opposition’s problem.

The ACTING PRESIDENT (Ms Patten): Thank you, Dr Cumming.