In a story published by the AFIPN on 16 April 2022, concerns were raised over the safety and collection of Australian voter information.
Earlier in the week One Nations Pauline Hanson had warned Australians in a Facebook post about the return addresses on the pre-paid envelopes for postal vote applications being that of a major party Postal Vote Processing Centre.
Whilst some commented that this information is sent out every election, others said that it was a sneaky and manipulative tactic. With just over a month until elections voters’ frustrations are high, and the prospect of people’s personal information possibly being collected for purposes other than the purpose it was collected for, sent voters into a spin.
Following the social media post from Hanson, the leader of One Nation later reported to have received a warning from the Australian Government Solicitor following complaints by the major parties regarding her warning to voters, posting the letter on-line.
However, in a media release published later on 16 April 2022, the AEC posted a statement, which included a further statement by AEC Electoral Commissioner Tom Ross, saying ‘We are issuing a warning about the distribution of postal vote applications. “Its legal but it is potentially misleading, and we’re concerned.”’
Whilst the action is not illegal, it is in fact misleading. Sending the completed applications back in the reply-paid envelopes provided implies ‘consent’ to the recipient having the personal information provided on the forms.
In some cases, it may also be argued that senders ought to have reasonably known who they were sending their information to.
As a result, Australian voters are being urged to vote ‘in person’ on election day.
There may however be impacts or challenges that may be a factor in how people choose to vote in this election. Several voting options will be available with alternative options now on the table.
The AEC will deploy mobile polling teams to visit many voters who are not able to get to a polling place. Mobile polling teams will visit some residential care facilities and remote areas of Australia.
With legislation passed in early 2022 Telephone voting will also be an option to allow for voters who are affected by the current ‘health situation’, to cast a telephone vote.
If for some reason you are unable to attend a polling place on Saturday May 21 for the 2022 federal election, you can apply for a postal vote through the Australian Electoral Commission website –
https://www.aec.gov.au/election/pva.htm or https://forms.aec.gov.au/PostalVoteApplication
Forms should be returned to-
Email: applications@pva.aec.gov.au
Post: Australian Electoral Commission Reply Paid 9988 [Your capital city] (No stamp is needed if posted in Australia) Fax: 02 8009 0814
In person: www.aec.gov.au for your nearest office.
