Senator HUTCHINS (5:45 PM) —On behalf of the Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters, I present the Report on the 2007 federal election electronic voting trials: interim report of the inquiry into the conduct of the 2007 election and matters related thereto, together with the minutes of proceedings. I seek leave to move a motion in relation to the report.

Leave granted.

Senator HUTCHINS —I move:

I have pleasure in presenting the committee’s report. I read out the long title. One feature of the 2007 election was the conduct of two electronic voting trials. The first was a trial of electronically assisted voting for blind and vision impaired electors and the other was a trial of remote electronic voting for selected ADF personnel serving overseas. The trials had their origins in recommendations that the Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters of the previous parliament made in its review of the 2004 election. This interim report focuses solely on the conduct of the electronic voting trials at the election. Other matters related more generally to the conduct of the 2007 election will be dealt with in the committee’s final report, which is expected in the middle of this year. The AEC and its partners, including the Department of Defence and non-government organisations representing people who are blind or vision impaired, should be recognised for their work in delivering the trials. The committee acknowledges their sustained efforts over a short period of time to develop solutions to a range of technical, logistical, administrative and legislative issues. These efforts were invaluable in assisting to deliver the trials.

The combined cost of the trials was over $4 million, with an average cost per vote of $2,597 for the trial of electronically assisted voting for blind and vision impaired electors and $1,159 for the remote electronic voting trial for selected Defence Force personnel serving overseas. These must be compared to an average cost per elector at the 2007 election of $8.36. The committee has recommended that electronically assisted voting for blind and vision impaired electors and remote electronic voting for Australian Defence Force personnel serving overseas be discontinued. In the case of the electronically assisted voting trial, it is clear to the committee that some electors who are blind or vision impaired place strong value on the ability to cast a secret and independent vote like most other electors are able to do. That said, the high cost of providing a service that improves the quality of the franchise for a limited number of voters, at $2,597 per voter for the 850 votes cast, appears to be unsustainable given the low number of votes cast and the limited opportunities to lift participation.

The committee is mindful that blind and vision impaired electors will not be disenfranchised by the discontinuation of electronically assisted voting and will retain the opportunity to vote. Existing provisions in the Electoral Act facilitate their participation by providing electors who need assistance the support of a person of their choosing or, where they do not nominate a person to assist, an electoral official. The committee encourages the AEC and relevant advocacy organisations to continue to explore avenues, including the development of more cost-effective electronic solutions, into the future. In the interim, the committee has recommended that electronic magnifiers be deployed at sites where there is likely to be a demand for them.

In respect of the trial of remote electronic voting for ADF personnel serving overseas, the committee accepts that the system trial in 2007 required substantial paper based backup arrangements to be used as a contingency. It is clear that the use of two full systems, one electronic and one paper based, placed a significant additional burden on Australian Defence Force personnel in operational areas and would continue to do so if a remote electronic voting system were to be utilised into the future. Further, the committee considers that the high cost of the trial, at $1,159 per vote for the 1,511 votes cast, is not warranted, particularly if the number of personnel deployed overseas does not rise significantly from the current level of around 3,000 personnel across 12 areas of operation.

The committee remains concerned to ensure that all ADF personnel are provided with the maximum possible opportunity to cast votes at federal elections wherever operational circumstances permit. The Australian Electoral Commission and the Department of Defence have jointly proposed an assistant returning officer model under which pre-poll and postal voting arrangements are to be provided in operational areas by ADF personnel trained by the AEC. The committee believes that the proposed model provides a realistic and improved alternative to remote electronic voting and builds on processes used effectively in the past. The committee has therefore endorsed the assistant returning officer model proposed by the AEC and Defence and recommended that the necessary legislative and administrative arrangements be made so that the model can be used in future elections.

Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to thank my fellow committee members for their contribution to this inquiry thus far and those who participated by making submissions or appearing at public hearings. I would also like to thank the committee secretariat for their invaluable assistance. I commend the report to the Senate.

Question agreed to.