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Following recent infrastructure cuts observed at the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC), the Australasian Association of Genealogists and Record Agents (AAGRA) has launched a formal campaign to protect the statutory right of public roll inspection under Section 90A of the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918.
AAGRA have officially submitted formal correspondence to the Australian Electoral Commissioner, Mr Jeff Pope APM, with copies provided to the Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters (JSCEM).
What AAGRA is Fighting For:
AAGRA’s advocacy focuses on reversing the ongoing degradation of public access through three core remedies:
- Restoring Public Terminal Capacity: Objecting to the reduction of Public Access Terminals (PATs) down to a single terminal in some major state offices. A single machine violates the 2015 JSCEM directive that public access must remain “unfettered” by locking out walk-in citizens, during “booking only” times. In the event of a machine break-down, there is no access at all.
- Providing National Access in All AEC Offices: Demanding that at least one full-access national terminal be installed in EVERY local Divisional AEC office across Australia, removing geographic discrimination for rural and regional researchers.
- Securing an 18-Year Historical Library Archive: Demanding that the AEC fill the massive data gap left when they ceased distributing historical microfiche rolls to State and National Libraries in 2008. We are calling for secure, read-only digital snapshots “frozen in time” from each successive federal election from 2008 to the present day.
If you are an individual researcher experiencing difficulties accessing Public Access Terminals at your local AEC office, or if you would like information on how to send your own submission to the AEC and the JSCEM, please contact us
