The Victorian Parliament's Legislative Assembly Electoral Matters Committee report last month on its inquiry 'into whether Victoria should participate in a national electoral roll platform' reflects the following terms of reference -
(a) the possible implications, if any, of a national electoral roll platform on the independence of the Victorian Electoral Commission;
(b) the security and integrity of Victoria’s electoral system; and
(c) mechanisms to ensure the security and integrity of electoral systems and events in other jurisdictions around Australia and internationally to determine best practice.
The report states
Since 2017, Australia’s state, territory and Commonwealth electoral commissions have been working towards the development of a shared software platform. This ‘national electoral platform’ could support a variety of electoral functions, including the electoral roll. It has the potential to improve cyber security and to provide cost savings and efficiencies for electoral commissions.
The national electoral platform is still in the concept phase. The system specifications, the funding arrangements and the governance structure have not been determined. No part of the system has yet been developed.
This Committee was asked to investigate whether or not Victoria should move to a national electoral roll platform—that is, the electoral roll component of the national electoral platform. This would involve a major change from the current arrangements, in which the Victorian Electoral Commission (VEC) maintains a bespoke piece of software which stores Victoria’s database of electors, produces electoral rolls and supports other electoral functions.
Given that the national electoral roll platform is still in the concept phase, the Committee cannot definitively say whether moving to it would be in Victoria’s interest. The evidence received by the Committee suggests that, if a national platform is designed appropriately, it could be beneficial for Victoria. A national electoral roll platform has the potential to facilitate best practice information security systems for electors’ data, to provide cost savings over time and to enable a more complete and accurate roll.
However, to protect Victoria’s democracy, any change to electoral systems must be done in a carefully considered manner. Electoral systems are complex and it is important to ensure that changes do not have unintended consequences. Before moving to a national platform, the system needs to be carefully examined to ensure that it does not negatively impact on the VEC’s ability to perform its functions.
A national platform must meet all of the VEC’s business needs. In addition, it must have systems to support future changes to Victoria’s legislation and the VEC’s processes, so that Victoria’s electoral independence can be maintained. It is also important that moving to a national platform does not affect the VEC’s ability to deliver local council elections. If the national platform can address these matters while providing the expected benefits, it would be in Victoria’s interests to move to it.
The Committee’s conclusion is that it is worthwhile for the VEC to continue working with other commissions to explore the possibility of a national electoral platform, including a national electoral roll platform.
In the meantime, both the Victorian and Australian electoral commissions are currently undertaking work to redevelop the software they use to manage their databases of electors and produce electoral rolls. The Committee considers this an appropriate interim measure while work towards a national electoral roll platform takes place. However, the Committee would strongly encourage both electoral commissions to collaborate wherever possible to reduce duplication of effort and costs.
The Committee has also noted that there is a lack of transparency around what data are stored in the Victorian database of electors. The Committee has therefore recommended that legislation be updated to clearly set out what is stored on the database, as is the case in several other Australian states and territories.
The Committee's Findings and recommendations are -
Current arrangements
FINDING 1: Both the Australian Electoral Commission and the Victorian Electoral Commission maintain registers of enrolled electors on bespoke pieces of software. The vast majority of Victorian electors are on both registers. Western Australia is the only other state with a similar arrangement. Australia’s other states and territories rely on the Australian Electoral Commission’s register, which is used to produce electoral rolls for state and local council elections in those jurisdictions.
FINDING 2: Both the Australian Electoral Commission and the Victorian Electoral Commission have recently begun work on redeveloping the software that they use to manage their registers of electors.
RECOMMENDATION 1: That, as part of the Victorian Electoral Commission’s redevelopment of its Roll Management System, the Victorian Electoral Commission seek opportunities to collaborate with the Australian Electoral Commission and its project to redevelop its roll management system where possible. This collaboration should seek any opportunities to reduce the duplication of effort and costs involved with separately commissioning two pieces of software with similar functions.
What Victoria needs from a register of electors
FINDING 3: Victoria’s Electoral Act lacks clarity about what data are to be stored in the Victorian register of electors. Legislation in other Australian jurisdictions is clearer about what data must be stored, while still allowing for flexibility. Victoria’s Electoral Act could be improved by adopting this approach.
RECOMMENDATION 2: That the Government amend the Electoral Act 2002 to specify what data can be stored in the register of electors. The legislation should specify what data must be stored and what data may be stored for each elector, as in the Australian Capital Territory’s Electoral Act. The legislation should also provide for flexibility by allowing further data categories to be specified in subordinate legislation.
A national electoral roll platform
FINDING 4: Australian electoral commissions have done some work to develop the concept of a national electoral platform, which would include a national electoral roll platform. However, they have not yet developed a concrete proposal for how a platform would be designed or operate. Work is ongoing.
FINDING 5: If it is designed appropriately, a national electoral roll platform has the potential to meet Victoria’s needs, while providing better cyber security, being more accurate and complete, and enabling cost savings over time compared to the current arrangements.
RECOMMENDATION 3: That the Victorian Electoral Commission continue working with other jurisdictions towards the creation of a national electoral platform, including a national electoral roll platform. As part of this, the Victorian Electoral Commission should advocate for the platform to be designed in a way that will meet Victoria’s needs.
RECOMMENDATION 4: That Victoria not commit to a national electoral roll platform until details of the design and governance structure are more developed. At that time, an assessment can be made as to whether or not a national electoral roll platform would meet Victoria’s needs.
