High Court upholds constitutional challenge


Activist organisation GetUp has won its constitutional challenge to electoral laws, meaning 100,000 Australians who missed the deadline to enroll to vote will now be able to cast their ballots on August 21.

GetUp continue High Court challenge
Protestor ejected from High Court


The lobby group was challenging the 2006 amendments to Australia's Electoral Act, made by the former Howard government, which closed electoral rolls on the day the writs of election were issued.

Prior to the 2006 amendments, Australians had seven days to enrol or update their details after the writs were issued.

Sam McLean from GetUp says the ruling is a win for democracy.

He says it proves that in Australia voting "is for all, not just for some".


http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/1320832/High-Court-upholds-constitutional-challenge

Equitist wrote on Aug 6^th, 2010 at 1:19pm:


anyone who was planning to vote would have registered to vote long ago. whilst not specifically supporting the old law, i fail to see how this changes anything at all. the people who wanted to vote would ahve enrolled before the deadline and the people who dont wont to vote, still dont.

big yawn.

bwood1946 wrote on Aug 6^th, 2010 at 2:37pm:


its a very small issue at best.

longweekend58 wrote on Aug 6^th, 2010 at 2:34pm:


The point is, that: voting is theoretically compulsory in Oz and therefore the Govt of the day (in conjunction with the AEC) have a constitutional responsibility to maximise voting opportunities - but, when the Libs had an effective-dictatorship, they cynically, self-servingly and unnecessarily changed a long-standing and workable law...

Ironically, they did so at a time of unprecedented technological expertise in identity-verification tools and resources available to the AEC. So, it wasn't as if the AEC had been experiencing increased problems in processing late enrollments - that was a furphy!

If the AEC desperately needed an extra week to process late enrollments, then the Libs could have legislated to mandate a longer election period to cater for this - but there was no real problem at the AEC - and instead they cynically cut down to a single day the available time for citizens to belatedly enrol...

Besides, we all know that the AEC stats reveal that: late enrolments predominantly come from younger people - i.e. those who are least likely to relate to Liberal Party values - and systematically denying those young adults the opportunity to vote was the overriding agenda of the Howardian Libs when they changed the Electoral Act!

longweekend58 wrote on Aug 6^th, 2010 at 2:43pm:


Small!? Methinks that the estimated 100,000 excluded people is a significant figure - especially in marginal electorates, which are often decided by less than 100 votes!

Similarly, 100,000 people spread across a small number of States and Territories will potentially make or break several Senators!

You know it, I know it - and the LibLabs know it!

Quote:


EXACTLY

Equitist wrote on Aug 6^th, 2010 at 2:54pm:

mozzaok wrote on Aug 6^th, 2010 at 2:58pm:



The effective dictatorship was, as if you didn't know, when the population foolishly handed Howard control of both houses.

An elected dictator three-year terms four times some dictator