Hon Neil Thomson questions the WA Electoral Commission's resources for community engagement, particularly in remote Aboriginal communities, and the impact of boundary changes. The Minister assures increased resources and inclusive practices.

AnsweredQoN 1076Legislative Council
Asked
19 September 2023
Portfolio
Electoral Affairs

QuestionView source ↗

ELECTORAL COMMISSION — ANNUAL REPORT
1076. Hon NEIL THOMSON to the parliamentary secretary representing the
Minister for Electoral Affairs:
I refer to the Western Australian
Electoral Commission's Annual report 2021–2022 .
(1) Does the Western
Australian Electoral Commission have sufficient resources to meet goal 1, page
13, which in part refers to being ''Based on high awareness and
participation from the community''?
(2) Will the proposed boundary changes for the
proposed seat of Mid West pose any additional challenges for the Western Australian Electoral Commission to
conform with the strategies for goal 1 and goal 2, specifically achieving ''Untarnished electoral
outcomes'' or ''High satisfaction from voters and other
stakeholders''?
(3) Referring to
the Western Australian Electoral Commission's multicultural plan, have
any of the culturally and linguistically diverse programs that, according to
page 30, reach 400 people been made available in remote Western Australia,
specifically targeting the Aboriginal community and their electoral voice?

AnswerView source ↗

I thank the member for some notice
of the question. The following answer has been provided to me by the Minister
for Electoral Affairs.
(1) The Western Australian
Electoral Commission, along with its joint roll partner, the Australian
Electoral Commission, are dedicated to the education and engagement of the Western
Australian community. Recently, the commission has agreed to increase staffing
resources for 2023–24 and 2024–25 to conduct increased
community engagement activities, with a focus on remote Aboriginal communities.
That work is planned to commence in the first half of 2024.
(2) No. The
commission's community engagement and education activities are
conducted without reference to any community's location within
electoral boundaries. If there is an opportunity to visit a location and
staffing resources are available, the commission will endeavour to visit that
location. Wherever possible, visits are coordinated with other government
agencies visiting regional and remote communities, such as the Australian
Electoral Commission, the Department of Justice and the Parliamentary Education
Office. In terms of operational election delivery, the commission strives to
deliver a quality electoral experience to electors wherever they are in the
state, and whatever the size of their electoral district.
(3) The activities referred to in
(1) will include remote communities.

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