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REFERENDUM (MACHINERY PROVISIONS) ACT 1984

Table of Provisions

PART I--PRELIMINARY

  • 1 Short title  
  • 2 Commencement  
  • 3 Interpretation  
  • 3AA Meaning of referendum matter  
  • 3AAA Meaning of referendum expenditure  
  • 3A Extraterritorial operation of Act  
  • 3B Application to Crown  
  • 3C Application of the Criminal Code  
  • 4 Electors entitled to vote at a referendum  
  • 5 Australian Electoral Officer for the Australian Capital Territory  
  • 6 Assistant Returning Officers and Assistant Divisional Returning Officers  
  • 6A AEC staff may act as Divisional Returning Officers or Assistant Divisional Returning Officers  

PART II--WRIT--FOR A REFERENDUM

  • 7 Writ for a referendum  
  • 8 Form of writ  
  • 9 Day for close of Rolls and voting day  
  • 10 Extension of time  
  • 11 Distribution to electors of arguments for and against proposed law  
  • 12 Governor - General to deal with writ  
  • 13 Action by Electoral Commissioner  
  • 14 Action by Electoral Officers  

PART III--VOTING--AT A REFERENDUM

Division 1--General

  • 15 Voting on same day throughout Australia  
  • 16 Polling places  
  • 16A Undertaking by officers and scrutineers  
  • 17 Arrangements for voting  
  • 18 Substitute for presiding officer  
  • 19 Ballot - boxes  
  • 20 Separate voting compartments  
  • 21 Use of licensed premises as polling booth  
  • 22 Certified lists of voters  
  • 22A Approved list of voters  
  • 23 Election and referendum on the same day  
  • 24 Manner of voting  
  • 25 Forms of ballot paper  
  • 25A Official mark  
  • 25B Administrative markings  
  • 26 Ballot papers to be initialled  
  • 27 Appointment of scrutineers  
  • 28 Provisions relating to scrutineers  
  • 29 Voting at a referendum  
  • 30 Questions to be put to voter  
  • 31 Questions to be put to voter when election and referendum on the same day  
  • 32 Errors not to forfeit vote  
  • 33 Right of elector to receive ballot paper  
  • 34 List of voters to be marked when ballot paper issued  
  • 35 Vote to be marked in private  
  • 36 Assistance to certain voters  
  • 36A Certain voters may vote outside polling place  
  • 37 Provisional votes  
  • 38 Provisional enrolment by applicant for citizenship  
  • 39 Other general provisions about applications under section 38  
  • 40 Election and referendum on the same day  
  • 41 Spoilt ballot papers  
  • 41AA Discarded ballot papers  
  • 41AB Ballot - boxes opened before close of voting  
  • 41A Temporary suspension of polling  
  • 42 Adjournment of voting  
  • 43 Adjournment at both referendum and election  
  • 44 Adjourned voting  
  • 45 Compulsory voting  
  • 46 Where electors may vote, and absent voting  
  • 46AA Voting by designated electors at referendums  
  • 46A Forwarding of declaration votes  

Division 2--Mobile booths

  • 47 Interpretation  
  • 48 Hospitals that are polling places  
  • 50 Provisions related to section 48  
  • 51 Mobile booths  
  • 52 Election and referendum on same day  

PART IV--POSTAL--VOTING

  • 53 Interpretation  
  • 54 Grounds of application for postal vote  
  • 55 Application for postal vote  
  • 56 Application forms for postal votes  
  • 58 Dispatch of postal voting papers to registered general postal voters  
  • 59 Election and referendum on the same day  
  • 61 Issue of certificate and ballot papers  
  • 62 Inspection of applications  
  • 62A Access to electronic list of postal vote applicants  
  • 62B Restriction on use or disclosure of information  
  • 65 Postal voting  
  • 66 Duty of authorised witnesses etc.  
  • 67 Procedure for dealing with postal vote certificates etc.  
  • 68 Opening of postal ballot paper  
  • 69 Failure to post or deliver postal vote application etc.  
  • 70 Inducing person to hand over marked ballot paper  
  • 71 Correction of formal errors  
  • 71AA Postal votes not to be rejected in certain circumstances  

PART IVA--PRE---POLL VOTING

Division 1--Introduction

  • 71A Guide to this Part  

Division 2--General matters

  • 72 Grounds of application for pre - poll vote  
  • 73 Pre - poll voting officers  
  • 73AA Pre - poll voting offices  
  • 73A Application for pre - poll vote  
  • 73B Place and time of application  
  • 73C Election and referendum on the same day  
  • 73CA Appointment of scrutineers  
  • 73CB Provisions relating to scrutineers  

Division 3--Voting by pre-poll ordinary vote

Subdivision A--Preliminary
  • 73CC Definitions  
  • 73CD Where is pre - poll ordinary voting available?  
  • 73CE Separate voting compartments  
  • 73CF Ballot - boxes  
    • Subdivision B--Voting by pre-poll ordinary vote
  • 73CG When is a person entitled to vote by pre - poll ordinary vote?  
  • 73CI Questions to be put to voter  
  • 73CJ Right of voter to receive ballot paper  
  • 73CK Voter to mark vote on ballot paper  
  • 73CL Assistance to certain voters  
  • 73CM Voter not entitled to vote again etc.  
    • Subdivision C--Requirements relating to ballot-boxes
  • 73CN Subdivision sets out requirements to be complied with  
  • 73CO Requirements to be complied with before first use of ballot - box  
  • 73CP Requirements to be complied with at end of each day of use of ballot - box  
  • 73CQ Requirements to be complied with before ballot - box used again on later day  
  • 73CR Forwarding of ballot - boxes for purposes of scrutiny  

Division 4--Voting by pre-poll declaration vote

  • 73CS Persons to whom this Division applies  
  • 73D Pre - poll declaration voting  
  • 73E Form of pre - poll vote certificate for declaration voting  
  • 73F Record of issue of pre - poll voting papers  
  • 73H Opening of pre - poll voting envelope  
  • 73J Obligations of persons present when pre - poll vote cast  
  • 73K Correction of formal errors  

PART IVB--ELECTRONICALLY--ASSISTED VOTING

  • 73L Definitions  
  • 73LA Entitlement of Antarctic electors to vote  
  • 73M Providing for voting by an electronically assisted voting method  
  • 73N There must be a record of who has voted using the electronically assisted voting method  
  • 73P There must be a record of the vote  
  • 73Q How this Act applies in relation to voting using the electronically assisted voting method  
  • 73QA Electoral Commissioner may decide that electronically assisted voting method is not to be used by sight - impaired persons  

PART VI--SCRUTINY--OF A REFERENDUM

  • 89 Ascertainment of result of referendum  
  • 89A Preliminary scrutiny of declaration votes  
  • 90 Conduct of scrutiny  
  • 91 Action at scrutiny  
  • 92 Action on objection to ballot papers  
  • 93 Informal ballot papers  
  • 94 Return of result of submission by Divisional Returning Officers  
  • 95 Recount  
  • 95A Notice of re - count  
  • 95B Conduct of re - count  
  • 96 Reservation of disputed ballot papers  

PART VII--RETURN--OF THE WRIT

  • 97 Statement by Australian Electoral Officers  
  • 98 Return of the writ  
  • 99 Copies of statement to Governors of the States etc.  

PART VIII--DISPUTED--RETURNS

  • 100 Disputing validity of submission or return  
  • 101 Requisites of petition  
  • 102 Petition by Electoral Commission  
  • 103 Jurisdiction and powers of High Court  
  • 104 Inquiries by High Court  
  • 105 Notice of petition  
  • 106 Joinder of parties  
  • 107 Procedure on petition  
  • 107AA Court must make decision quickly  
  • 107A Provision for Court to have regard to certain rejected ballot papers  
  • 108 Immaterial errors not to invalidate referendum  
  • 108AA Referendum not affected by failure of delivery arrangement  
  • 108A Certain other matters not to invalidate referendum  
  • 109 Evidence that person not permitted to vote  
  • 109A Right of Electoral Commission to have access to documents  

PART VIIIA--DISCLOSURE--OF REFERENDUM EXPENDITURE AND GIFTS

Division 1--Preliminary

  • 109B Application of this Part  
  • 109C Determining amount or value of certain gifts  
  • 109D Entities that are not incorporated  

Division 2--Disclosure of referendum expenditure and gifts

  • 109E Returns by referendum entities  
  • 109F Returns relating to gifts received by referendum entities for referendum expenditure  
  • 109G Returns relating to gifts to referendum entities  

Division 3--Requirements relating to foreign donor gifts

  • 109H Object of this Division  
  • 109J Gifts provided for the purposes of incurring referendum expenditure etc.  

Division 4--Referendum expenditure by foreign campaigners

  • 109K Objects of this Division  
  • 109L Prohibition on foreign campaigner incurring referendum expenditure or fundraising for that purpose  

Division 5--Other matters

  • 109M Anti - avoidance  
  • 109N Electoral Commission may obtain information and documents from persons  
  • 109P Copies of documents  
  • 109Q Retention of documents  
  • 109R Debts due to the Commonwealth  
  • 109S Contravening an offence provision or a civil penalty provision  
  • 109T Recovery of payments  
  • 109U Keeping records  
  • 109V Inability to complete returns  
  • 109W Non - compliance with Part does not affect referendum  
  • 109X Amendment of returns  
  • 109Y Report by Electoral Commission  
  • 109Z Certain particulars not to be included in reports  
  • 109ZA Implied freedom of political communication  

PART IX--AUTHORISATION--OF REFERENDUM MATTER

Division 1--Preliminary

Division 2--Authorisation of certain referendum matter

  • 110C Authorisation of certain referendum matter  
  • 110CA Prohibition on foreign campaigners authorising referendum matter  
  • 110D Extended geographical application of section 110C and 110CA  

Division 3--Information-gathering powers

  • 110E Electoral Commissioner may obtain information and documents from persons  
  • 110F Copies of documents  
  • 110G Retention of documents  

PART X--OFFENCES

  • 116 Officers and scrutineers to observe secrecy  
  • 117 Officers not to contravene Act etc.  
  • 118 Officers not to influence vote  
  • 118A Influencing votes of hospital patients etc.  
  • 119 Bribery  
  • 120 Interference with political liberty  
  • 122 Misleading or deceptive publications etc.  
  • 123 False statements in relation to Rolls  
  • 126 Cards in polling booth  
  • 127 Signature to referendum paper  
  • 128 Witnessing referendum papers  
  • 129 Marks on ballot papers  
  • 130 Other offences relating to ballot papers etc.  
  • 130A Officers not to interfere with etc. ballot - boxes or ballot papers  
  • 131 Prohibition of certain behaviour near polling booths and pre - poll voting places  
  • 132 Badges or emblems in polling booths  
  • 133 Employers to allow employees leave of absence to vote  
  • 134 Misconduct at public meeting  
  • 135 Control of behaviour at polling booths etc.  

PART XI--MISCELLANEOUS

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