Fed: Electoral commission given clean bill of health by Aud-Gen

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Fed: Electoral commission given clean bill of health by Aud-Gen

By Shane Wright

CANBERRA, April 18 AAP - The Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) was given a cleanbill of health today, even though 630,000 people are not on the voting roll.

A report by the auditor-general into the integrity of the electoral roll said the AECwas doing a good job, providing a roll of high integrity which could be relied upon.

It found over 96 per cent of the names on the roll were accurate, a high level giventhe way the roll changed because of new voters, movement of voters, and deaths.

The auditor-general's report followed concerns about the roll raised by cases of electoralfraud in Queensland in the lead-up to that state's election last year.

While the auditor-general found the AEC could improve, particularly in targeting groupsof people who failed to enrol, it said the organisation was performing well.

It said the AEC's security system was robust and effective, finding the only securityproblem related to mis-use of the completed roll.

"We concluded that the AEC is managing the electoral roll effectively," it said.

"AEC policies and procedures can provide an electoral roll that is accurate, complete,valid and secure.

"In particular, the AEC has mechanisms in place to provide assurance that the namesand addresses on the electoral roll are legitimate and valid, and that people who areeligible to vote are registered properly."

But while the auditor-general backed the AEC, the report did find about five per centof the voting population - or 630,000 people - never made it on to the roll.

The AEC does not have a target for either roll accuracy or compete enrolment.

The auditor-general said in many cases, people simply did not want to enrol and wentout of their way to avoid the AEC.

There was also growing pressure for silent enrolment, whereby people enrolled but hadtheir details withheld out of privacy or safety concerns.

The commission was also warned the growing use of the electoral roll by politiciansfor mailouts to voters could open the door to electoral fraud.

"In the (auditor-general's) view, the absence of end use restrictions on data fromthe electoral roll could increase the potential for electoral fraud," it said.

The AEC has agreed to the auditor-general's 12 recommendations, including the fast-trackingof a fraud control plan specific to enrolment procedures.

AAP sw/daw/las

KEYWORD: ELECTORAL