The Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) is calling for up to 100,000 workers to fill temporary jobs as it prepares to deliver the first Federal Referendum in nearly a quarter of a century.
Electoral Commissioner Tom Rogers said that while the Federal Government had indicated the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice Referendum wouldn’t be until the second half of 2023, building a temporary workforce of the scale will take time and “we need lots of people to put their hands up early”.
“We were busy last week directly contacting thousands of people across Australia about temporary employment opportunities for the Referendum but we also need people who haven’t worked for us in a polling place before to put their hand up and be involved,” Mr Rogers said.
“Any federal Referendum is historic with only 44 conducted in our nation’s history and the previous one held way back before the Sydney Olympics – this is an opportunity to be a part of delivering the vote for the Australian community,” he said.
“There are paid roles that range from a one-day commitment to work required over several weeks and in some cases up to a few months.”
Mr Rogers said there were a range of jobs available in cities, regional and remote areas across Australia that provided good experience and a sense of democratic pride.
He said the AEC kept in touch with previous temporary election staff and while many return to their posts each election time, many others progress to different stages in their lives with different personal and professional commitments.
“This is why building such a large and diverse temporary workforce each election is a significant undertaking,” the Electoral Commissioner said
“Our early efforts to build a workforce is just one of many activities that the AEC is undertaking in preparation to deliver a potential Referendum – the first in over 20 years.”
Further information on the temporary jobs can be accessed at this PS News link and on the Voice Referendum at this link.
