Abstract

such as to affect an election result. As I understand, this is acknowledged by the Joint Standing Committee on Electoral lvlatters, and remains the view of my Govemrnent, as supported by recent State election experiences. In the absence of such evidence, any proposal to tighten voter eligibility by insisting on validating the proof of identity of electors against driver's licence details or supplementary documentation will only operate to disenfranchise many rural and indigenous Australian electors and potentially those people in society who do not have a driver's licence. More rigorous identity tests may also considerably increase the time taken for electors to submit or update..