The Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) has launched an education campaign to help voters understand how referendums work.
The Commissioner, Tom Rogers said Australians had not voted in a federal referendum for almost a quarter of a century, with millions of enrolled voters not of voting age when the previous referendum was held in 1999.
“We’re taking all the necessary first steps to kick off an education phase for the Australian public in order for all to understand how referendums work and the AEC’s role,” Mr Rogers said.
“The Constitution plays an active, daily role in the lives of Australians but it’s not on everyone’s coffee table at home, so it’s appropriate that ahead of a referendum we explain what it is and the upcoming process that seeks to change a part of it,” he said.
“More than 6.4 million enrolled voters have never voted in a referendum before.
“Some may not even know that it is compulsory to vote in a referendum and you will need to vote in-person, similar to a federal election.”
Mr Rogers said it was not the AEC’s role to explain the topic of a referendum but it was important for the body conducting the vote to explain to voters how that process worked.
He said a range of educative resources, including AEC TV videos, animations, graphics and fact sheets, would be progressively distributed to help voters understand the role of a referendum.
“The topic of the referendum is for others to debate but when it comes to the process, we’ll be running it and we’re here to help inform Australian voters and answer any questions they might have,” the Commissioner said.
“Knowing what the Constitution is and what the role of a referendum is will clearly be vital in providing a solid foundation for how people consider their opportunity to vote in the back half of 2023,” he said.
“Our aim is for Australians to feel comfortable voting in a referendum and know how the process works.”
