The Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters is currently conducting an inquiry into the Commonwealth Electoral Amendment Bill 2016 (Cth). These proposals affect the continued existence and electoral success of the Pirate Party.
If you would like to discuss the direction or contents of the submission, you can do so here, drop into IRC for a chat (I’m usually about), or email me at mozart.palmer@pirateparty.org.au.
S366 says that elections can’t be declared void based on things not being printed correctly. However, it makes no mention of how badly something can be printed. For instance, if there was a mistake which accidentally spelled “Pirate Party” as “Labor Party” the election could not be declared void. Am I reading this right? If so, I think there should be a “as long as a reasonable person could still correctly determine which party is being represented” clause added.
I have written many choice words in this inquiry, so I highly recommend you read our submission after it is granted parliamentary privilege and published on the APH website.
