Page 1309 - Week 05 - Thursday, 18 June 2020
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I rise to present the COVID-19 Emergency Response Legislation Amendment Bill 2020 (No 2). This bill introduces important changes to electoral legislation to support the upcoming 2020 ACT election, and it also repeals a temporary provision introduced by previous COVID-19 emergency response legislation relating to judge-alone trials in the ACT Supreme Court. This bill will be the third COVID-19 emergency response legislation that has come before the Assembly.
There has been significant positive progress in the containment and the reduction of COVID-19 cases in the ACT and across Australia since the first COVID-19 Emergency Response Bill was passed on 2 April. Over the past six weeks the ACT has recorded only one new case of COVID-19 and there remains no evidence of community transition. This is a tremendous testament to the hard work and the collaborative efforts of the entire ACT community.
With the 2020 ACT Legislative Assembly election on 17 October, the safe participation of ACT electors and the health and safety of electoral staff is obviously a key focus. In light of the ongoing health and safety risks of COVID-19, the government has been working with the ACT Electoral Commission to ensure that the commission can be appropriately supported in their preparation for the conduct of the 2020 ACT election. The electoral amendments that I present today are a result of these efforts and, importantly, these amendments will be in place only for the 2020 election and will expire following the election.
In summary, the electoral amendments will expand the early voting system so that any elector who is eligible to vote in the ACT election will be able to cast a vote before polling day at early voting centres. The amendments will support the commission’s deployment of an overseas electronic voting solution for eligible ACT electors who are abroad, and will also support the commission’s deployment of a telephone voting system for eligible ACT electors who are blind or vision impaired and electors who have a physical disability.
The Electoral Commission has advised, in a special report titled Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the 2020 ACT Legislative Assembly Election, that increasing opportunities for early voting, together with targeted preventative health measures at polling locations, is the most appropriate and adaptive election delivery model under prevailing conditions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic and continued physical distancing requirements. The special report was developed by the commission in specific recognition of the need to adapt the delivery of the 2020 ACT election to mitigate expected health risks, whilst also ensuring electoral integrity in light of COVID-19.
The bill will also introduce a legislative framework for the commission’s deployment of telephone voting and electronic voting for certain ACT electors who are unable to participate in the election through physical attendance at polling venues. Amendments in the bill which support the commission’s implementation of their telephone voting system are aimed at assisting eligible ACT electors who are blind or vision impaired or who have a physical disability by allowing them to vote from home. Amendments to support the introduction of an electronic voting option will facilitate the
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