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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1995 Week 7 Hansard (17 October) . . Page.. 1744 ..

MS FOLLETT (continuing):

`(2) The OIC of a polling place shall ensure that electoral matter exhibited in accordance with subsection (1) is secured so as to prevent its removal or defacement.'.".

3. Page 2, lines 26 and 27, clause 6, proposed paragraph 303(a)(c), omit all the words after "place,", substitute "other than -

(i) a notice authorised by the Commissioner for display there; or

(ii) electoral matter exhibited in accordance with subsection 155A(1)".

4. Page 3, line 31, clause 8, paragraph (a), omit the paragraph, substitute the following paragraphs:

"(a) by omitting from paragraph 2(a) `or';

(aa) by adding at the end of subsection (2) the following paragraphs:

`(c) electoral matter kept by an authorised officer for the purpose of subsection 136(2A) in a place where a declaration vote may be made before an officer; or

(d) electoral matter exhibited in accordance with subsection 155A(1).'; and".

The amendments I have moved allow for access to how-to-vote cards during polling in a limited fashion. Parties who are candidates would be allowed to provide how-to-vote cards to the Electoral Commission and these cards would be made available to voters at the time they actually cast their votes. Proposed clause 3A would allow for the how-to-vote cards to be made available at prepolling centres when voters present to vote at such centres. Proposed clause 3B will ensure that the how-to-vote material is exhibited in each voting compartment on election day, for the information of voters. So it is in a central place and if voters wish to see it they would be able to.

This amendment will allow access to information by voters at the point in time when they cast their vote. It does not allow booth workers to be present at polling booths to distribute this material, but it does allow voters to seek the preferred means of voting recommended by parties or by individual candidates. The amendment would limit the number of copies of how-to-vote cards that a party or candidate might produce, since the number need match only the number of voting compartments in the various polling booths on election day. There is no valid environmental argument against this proposal, so I am seeking Assembly support for that limited availability of how-to-vote material.

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