The ACT Government is introducing new legislation to strengthen the Territory’s electoral laws by making voting more accessible and ensuring public confidence in our local elections and improve road safety.
“These changes will encourage more Canberrans to participate in the democratic process and improve the polling experience for electors by allowing anyone to cast a ballot during the early voting period, which will now occur around two weeks before an election,” said Special Minister of State Chris Steel.
“Donations reform is also key to this legislative package, with donations reaching the threshold to be reported in ‘real time’ to the Electoral Commission within seven days and a total ban on foreign political donations all together.
“The importance of ensuring the integrity of and public confidence in the ACT’s voting system cannot be overstated, it is core to our democracy and the right of every voter to know how candidates, politicians and political parties are funded and that they are not being influenced by foreign actors.”
The new laws will also foster participation in the democratic process with voters who have vision impairment to participate by electronic and telephone voting, while overseas electors will also be eligible for early voting like the rest of our community.
“Importantly these changes will also ensure that where people are experiencing homelessness that the Electoral Commission will be able to undertake mobile polling where people in this situation are most likely to gather,” said Minister Steel.
A new offence proposed in the Electoral and Road Safety Legislation Amendment Bill 2023 will also support new restrictions on the number of roadside signs on public land, limiting them to 250 corflutes per election candidate to improve road safety and reduce waste. Roadside signs will be restricted to prevent their placement along roads at or exceeding 90km/h for road safety reasons.
The new laws also create offences for parking a vehicle in a declared place, with advertising or electoral matter is attached to a vehicle. On the spot fines of $640 may be issued, with the maximum court imposed fine being $3,200.
“This will mean that Canberrans won’t have to view billboard style commercial or political advertising attached to cars and trucks parked on arterial roads that could distract drivers, or cause a collision hazard.
Existing illegal parking fines would also increase by $50 if the vehicle displays advertising material or electoral matter.
“Exemptions will be provided for certain vehicle and advertising in the new infringements and offences. The intention here is to restrict advertising where vehicle is effectively being used as a large sign or billboard and is illegally or unsafely parked,” Minister Steel said.
The ACT Government is delivering three commitments in the Parliamentary and Government Agreement for the 10th Legislative Assembly as well as acting on recommendations made by the Standing Committee Inquiry into the 2020 ACT Election and Electoral Act 1992 and recent changes made by the Commonwealth to the Electoral Act 1918.
