3Performance Reporting

The AEC provides a range of election services, both nationally and internationally. Domestically, these range from maintaining the Register of Political Parties and administering the Commonwealth funding and financial disclosure scheme, to the conduct of Australian workplace elections. Internationally, this includes the provision of electoral support programs in countries such as, Papua New Guinea and Nepal.

Overview

This second part of the AEC’s reporting on Election Management and Support Services performance outlines activities that:

• maintain the Register of Political Parties
• support transparency in political funding
• provide workplace ballot and election services
• provide assistance to other electoral authorities (nationally and internationally).

Maintaining the Register of Political Parties

The AEC maintains the Register of Political Parties as required under Part XI of the Electoral Act and provides political parties with advice on how to apply for and maintain registration.

It also receives and processes applications for party registration, reviews political parties’ eligibility to remain on the Register and updates contact details for party officials. During 2014–15, the AEC continued work to strengthen compliance and assurance in funding and disclosure processes.

Political parties are not required to register with the AEC. For those that register there are benefits and obligations. These are outlined in the Party Registration Guide available on the AEC website.

The AEC provides updated party registration information on its website including:

• the current Register of Political Parties (including registered party names, optional abbreviations, registered officer details and whether the party wishes to receive election funding)
• notices regarding party registration required under the Electoral Act
• historical information
• the Party Registration Guide
• statements of reasons for decisions on particular applications
• forms and explanations to help parties making applications.

Party registration applications

In 2014–15, the AEC received 13 applications to register a political party and three applications to voluntarily deregister a political party. These numbers are slightly higher than 2013–14 and are in keeping with the historical pattern of fluctuations in registrations over the course of an electoral cycle.

The AEC also received three applications to change a party name and one application to change a party abbreviation – these numbers are slightly lower than 2013–14.

Applications to update party office holder information

In 2014–15, the AEC received:

• 33 applications to change the details of the registered officer of a party
• 98 applications to change details of other party officials (deputy registered officers, party agents and party secretaries)
• nine applications to change other party details.

Requests for review of party registration decisions

Section 141 of the Electoral Act provides for a review of certain party registration decisions made by the Electoral Commissioner or the Commissioner’s delegate.

In 2014–15, the AEC received three applications for review of the decisions of a Commissioner’s delegate. These requests for review comprised:

• a refusal to change a registered officer
• the deregistration of two parties during the review process.

The (three-person) Electoral Commission affirmed the decision of the Commission’s delegate in the first case; the two applications requesting a review of the delegate’s decision to deregister the parties were still under consideration as at 30 June 2015.

Further details are available on the AEC website.

Transparency of political funding

The Commonwealth funding and financial disclosure scheme, established under Part XX of the Electoral Act, outlines the requirements in relation to the disclosure of detailed financial information regarding donations to political parties and election campaigns.

The disclosure scheme requires that the following groups and individuals lodge annual or election period financial disclosure returns with the AEC:

• political candidates
• political parties and their associated entities
• donors
• other participants in the electoral process.

Financial disclosure returns

During 2014–15, the AEC received 756 annual financial disclosure returns and amendments. This included:

• 715 returns for 2013–14
• 14 returns and 11 amendments for 2012–13
• seven returns and nine amendments relating to returns received for years prior to 2012–13.

Political party and associated entity financial disclosure returns for 2014–15 are due on 20 October 2015. Donor and third party returns for 2014–15 are due on 17 November 2015. These returns will be published on the AEC website on the first working day in February 2016. Table 6 shows the number of returns lodged for the three previous financial years.

Online lodgement of returns is available through the AEC’s eReturns system, which is a secure portal on the AEC website. The uptake of online lodgement has continued to increase. In 2014–15, 64 per cent of returns were completed online, compared with 62 per cent in 2013–14 and 56 per cent in 2012–13.

Compliance reviews

The AEC undertakes compliance reviews of disclosure returns lodged by political parties and associated entities under section 316(2A) of the Electoral Act. These are undertaken on an annual basis focusing on the most recent returns lodged. In 2014–15, the AEC completed 16 compliance reviews of disclosure returns lodged by political parties and associated entities.

Election funding

The AEC calculates the election funding rate for each vote received by candidates and Senate groups that reached a threshold of four per cent of the formal first preference vote. Every six months the election funding rate is adjusted in line with the consumer price index and published on the AEC website.

If an election had been held in 2014–15, the election funding rates for 2014–15 would have been:

• 256.067 cents per first preference vote for 1 July to 31 December 2014
• 258.372 cents per first preference vote for 1 January to 30 June 2015.

As no federal electoral events, were conducted during 2014–15, no election funding was paid to registered political parties and candidates.

Support for Australian workplaces

In 2014–15, the AEC conducted 1 553 workplace elections and ballots, consisting of the following (Table 7 provides a full breakdown):

• industrial elections in accordance with the requirements of the Fair Work (Registered Organisations) Act 2009 and the relevant organisation’s rules
• protected action ballots in accordance with the Fair Work Act 2009 and Fair Work Commission orders
• fee-for-service elections and ballots at full cost recovery.

Industrial elections

In 2014–15, the AEC conducted 329 industrial elections to fill offices in employee (unions) and employer organisations registered under the Fair Work (Registered Organisations) Act 2009. In accordance with the Fair Work (Registered Organisations) Act 2009, all elections were secret ballots and were conducted in accordance with the rules of the relevant organisation.

Postal voting was the most common voting method. After each election, the AEC reported to the Fair Work Commission and the organisations involved, including comments on rules that were difficult to interpret or problematic to apply.

Protected action ballots

Protected action ballots allow working Australians to choose, by secret ballot, whether they agree with proposed industrial action such as strikes, bans or work stoppages. The Fair Work Commission may appoint the AEC to conduct a protected action ballot under the provisions of the Fair Work Act 2009 after a bargaining representative for an employee has lodged a request for such a ballot during negotiations for an enterprise agreement.

In 2014–15, the AEC conducted 1 037 protected action ballots for employee organisations across a range of industries.

Those ballots were conducted by post or at worksites and usually took around three weeks to complete. Following the declaration of the result, the AEC provided the results to the Fair Work Commission, the bargaining representative of the employees and the organisation itself. Post-ballot reports were sent to the Fair Work Commission where necessary.

Fee-for-service elections and ballots

The AEC conducts fee-for-service elections and ballots for public and private sector organisations that require assistance with elections to office, workplace agreement ballots and other voting processes (such as polls). Authority for the delivery of these fee-for-service elections and ballots is contained in Section 7A of the Electoral Act.

The AEC has minimum standards for the conduct of fee-for-service elections and works closely with organisations to deliver elections and ballots to ensure all voters have a reasonable opportunity to vote via postal voting, attendance voting (conducted on site by AEC staff members) or a combination of both.

In 2014–15, the AEC delivered 187 fee-for-service elections and ballots for public and private sector organisations, consisting of:

• 134 enterprise agreement ballots (the majority of which were for organisations in the manufacturing, retail, transport, mining and finance sectors)
• 42 elections to office
• 11 yes/no ballots.

Of the 116 online enquiries that the AEC received via the AEC’s fee-for-service web page, 32 per cent resulted in AEC-managed elections or ballots.

Reform

As an adjunct to the agency-wide electoral reform programme for federal elections, the AEC has commenced a review of the processes and systems currently used to conduct industrial and fee-for-service elections and ballots. Modifications similar to those applied to federal elections will be implemented to reinforce existing processes and systems. These reforms will include ballot paper production controls, ballot paper handling principles, an election personnel identification policy and an election waste control policy.

Supporting state and territory electoral authorities

The AEC works closely with other electoral authorities throughout Australia to provide a range of services for state, territory and local government elections, including roll maintenance, staffing, facilities and resources.

Electoral Council of Australia and New Zealand

The Electoral Council of Australia and New Zealand (ECANZ) is a consultative council of electoral commissioners from the electoral management bodies of Australia and New Zealand. The AEC chairs and provides secretariat services for the ECANZ meetings. Activities in 2014–15 included:

• four meetings, coinciding with electoral events enabling members to observe elections in other jurisdictions
• detailed reporting of the state of the electoral roll and enrolment activities
• discussions on issues relevant to a range of jurisdictions, such as postal services, direct enrolment, security and increasing trends of early voting.

At 30 June 2015, the members of ECANZ were:

• Tom Rogers, Electoral Commissioner, Australian Electoral Commission (Chair)
• Colin Barry, Electoral Commissioner, New South Wales Electoral Commission
• Warwick Gately, Electoral Commissioner, Victorian Electoral Commission
• Walter van der Merwe, Electoral Commissioner, Electoral Commission of Queensland
• David Kerslake, Electoral Commissioner, Western Australian Electoral Commission
• Kay Mousley, Electoral Commissioner, Electoral Commission of South Australia
• Julian Type, Electoral Commissioner, Tasmanian Electoral Commission
• Phil Green, Electoral Commissioner, Elections ACT
• Iain Loganathan, Electoral Commissioner, Northern Territory Electoral Commission
• Robert Peden, Chief Electoral Officer, New Zealand Electoral Commission.

Joint roll arrangements

The AEC provides enrolment-related products and services to state and territory electoral commissions under agreements known as joint roll arrangements. The AEC works together with these partner agencies to deliver a range of activities in each jurisdiction, including joint enrolment stimulation events that assist in maintaining and growing the electoral roll.

Further information on joint roll arrangements is available at Section 3: Performance reporting, Electoral roll management.

Torres Strait Regional Authority elections

The Torres Strait Regional Authority is an Australian Government authority. Its governing board consists of at least 20 elected members living in the Torres Strait region and board elections take place once every four years.

The AEC delivers a range of products and services to support the conduct of these elections in line with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Act 2005. There was no board election in 2014–15. The next election is due in 2016.

Supporting overseas electoral authorities

The AEC maintains cooperative working relationships with other electoral authorities in a range of countries and delivers electoral support through a range of programs and partnerships. These initiatives support democracy and electoral administration internationally.

Providing advice and assistance

The AEC undertakes international electoral work in accordance with section 7(1)(fa) of the Electoral Act, in close cooperation with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT).

While the majority of funding for the AEC’s international work is provided by DFAT, the AEC also works closely with counterparts in the Asian, Pacific and Southern African regions, and with other providers of international electoral assistance, including:

• International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES)
• United Nations Electoral Assistance Division (UNEAD)
• United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
• International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA)
• Commonwealth Secretariat (an intergovernmental organisation of which Australia is a member).

Australia is also a partner of the Building Resources in Democracy, Governance and Elections (BRIDGE) program, along with International IDEA, IFES, UNDP and UNEAD. BRIDGE first met in December 1999 and focuses on the professional development of those involved in electoral processes and administration.

Regional support

Asia-Pacific

The AEC engages with electoral management bodies in the Asia-Pacific region through the Pacific Islands, Australia and New Zealand Electoral Administrators network (PIANZEA).

In 2014–15, the AEC provided secretariat services to PIANZEA and provided DFAT-funded electoral support programs in Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Timor-Leste, Nepal, Myanmar and a number of Pacific Island countries.

Indonesia

In 2014–15, the AEC worked with Indonesia’s three election management bodies – the General Elections Commission (KPU), the Elections Supervisory Board (Bawaslu) and the Indonesian Elections Ethics Council (DKPP) – and with academics and local organisations to strengthen electoral capacity and improve regional democracy and governance.

During 2014–15, the AEC delivered support through its Jakarta office, which had an in-country director and two locally engaged staff. In 2014–15 it delivered DFAT funded programs throughout Indonesia at the national and provincial levels, addressing:

• the exchange of knowledge and experiences related to the study, reform and management of election administration systems
• education and capacity development programs on election management and administration
• research programs to support election management and administration.

Activities included:

• the establishment of an Electoral Research Institute in Indonesia that produced research into the 2014 national elections and a policy paper on design options for the 2019 simultaneous elections
• the establishment of a postgraduate-level electoral management course for Indonesian electoral management officials
• handover activities of the BRIDGE Indonesia program to the KPU
• a series of knowledge sharing sessions between Indonesian electoral management bodies and the AEC on communication (external and internal), electoral education and human resource management.

As at June 2015, the AEC had trained 1 558 public servants (1 075 male and 483 female). The AEC trained 762 non-public servants (459 male and 303 female) under the Australia Indonesia Electoral Support Program. The AEC estimates a total of 1 261 600 people were indirectly exposed to AEC initiatives.

Timor-Leste

The AEC worked with the election management bodies in Timor-Leste, the Secretáriado Técnico de Administração Eleitoral (STAE) and the Comissão Nacional de Eleições (CNE), to continue to strengthen electoral capacity.

In 2014–15, the AEC worked with STAE and CNE to develop and deliver a pilot electoral education program. The pilot included a series of voter information and civic education sessions for senior students in selected schools in Dili who were about to become first time voters. Additional activities included:

• an ongoing mentoring and coaching program for STAE and CNE staff in the field, led by the AEC’s Timor-Leste program officer
• delivery of two modified BRIDGE strategic and financial planning modules in Dili in June 2015
• accreditation of BRIDGE facilitators in both STAE and CNE
• attendance by selected leaders from STAE and CNE at two PIANZEA network meetings and BRIDGE workshops.

Papua New Guinea

The AEC’s work with the Papua New Guinea Electoral Commission (PNGEC) through the AEC PNGEC Twinning Program is funded by DFAT until the end of 2015. Under the program, the AEC provides targeted, short-term technical expertise.

Assistance provided in 2014–15 included:

• two staff seconded to assist the PNGEC with updating manuals and training modules in preparation for the 2017 General Election
• additional short-term expertise from five staff in the areas of training and enrolment
• attendance at electoral support program board meetings.

Autonomous Bougainville Government

The Autonomous Region of Bougainville, previously known as the North Solomons Province, is an autonomous region in Papua New Guinea. In 2014–15, the AEC, as part of a broader international group including the PNGEC and the New Zealand Electoral Commission, provided advice and support to the Office of the Bougainville Electoral Commissioner (OBEC) during the delivery of the 2015 Autonomous Bougainville Government Elections.

Assistance provided by the AEC included:

• an operations advisor to provide support in managing the overall planning and implementation of the election
• a procurement and logistics advisor to assist in shaping the focus of the electoral logistics office
• an awareness advisor to assist with the strategic planning, implementation and evaluation of a community focused electoral awareness program
• arranging for a PNG-based IT expert to assist the OBEC with technical expertise relating to the electoral roll.

The program was funded by DFAT, as part of the broader Australian electoral assistance program in Papua New Guinea.

Pacific Islands

In 2014–15, the AEC provided support to Pacific Island electoral management bodies both through bilateral assistance programs and through provision of support through the PIANZEA network. Activities included:

• supporting Fiji in its conduct of national elections, hosting a study program and deploying two AEC advisors to the Fijian Elections Office, to assist with ballot paper printing and logistics
• providing operational support to the Tonga Electoral Commission in its delivery of its national elections
• providing expertise in procurement and logistics to assist the Solomon Islands Electoral Commission in its conduct of national elections
• facilitating the sharing of best practices and common challenges for Pacific electoral officials through the coordination of two PIANZEA network meetings and BRIDGE workshops on election operations
• conducting a learning clinic on the AEC’s generic voter registration system, software and hardware for 16 Pacific Island electoral officials and providing ongoing technical support for users
• delivering BRIDGE workshops on civic education and media and elections to over 40 participants from the PIANZEA network.

Myanmar

In January 2015, the AEC commenced targeted peer-to-peer electoral support to Myanmar’s Union Election Commission (UEC) in preparation for Myanmar’s national elections in November 2015. This assistance is funded by DFAT.

This support is focused on building upon the UEC’s internal capacity to conduct poll worker training. The AEC’s assistance complements activities implemented by the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES).

Nepal

The AEC assisted the Election Commission of Nepal (ECN) and its Nepalese Electoral Education and Information Centre (EEIC) staff to continue to strengthen its electoral capacity in 2014–15.

In March 2015, two AEC staff assisted the ECN in its delivery of a modified BRIDGE strategic and financial planning module and a civic education module in Kathmandu which also provided for the accreditation of additional ECN and EEIC BRIDGE facilitators.

Other international partnerships and programs

Meetings with international counterparts

In 2014–15, senior AEC staff met with a range of international counterpart organisations. These included the:

• Commonwealth Electoral Network Steering Committee
• Four Countries Conference (United Kingdom, Canada, New Zealand and Australia)
• Working Group on Accountability of Electoral Management Bodies
• Malaysian Commonwealth Studies Centre.¹

Hosting international visitors

In 2014–15 the AEC hosted international study programs, delegations and visitors from a number of countries including Afghanistan, Botswana, China, Fiji, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Mongolia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, South Africa, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, United Kingdom, United States of America and Vietnam, as well as from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

1. R McLeod 2012, Review of the Australian Electoral Commission’s disclosure compliance function under Part XX of the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918, PricewaterhouseCoopers.
2. On 1 January 2013, Fair Work Australia became the Fair Work Commission. The previous name is maintained for the relevant KPI.

1. Association of World Electoral Bodies.