Review of the Parliamentary Electorates and Elections Act 1912 and the Election Funding, Expenditure and Disclosures Act 1981

On 23 June 2011 the Premier, the Hon. Barry O’Farrell MP, indicated that he would undertake a review of the State’s two central electoral laws, the Parliamentary Electorates and Elections Act 1912 (the PE&E Act) and the Election Funding, Expenditure and Disclosures Act 1981 (EFE&D Act), as a result of significant changes to the political and electoral landscape since the Acts were originally enacted. The New South Wales Electoral Commission (NSWEC) stated that the PE&E Act and the EFE&D Act were in need of an overhaul, as a series of ad hoc amendments to the Acts over time had rendered them out-of-date and overly complicated. On 3 April 2012, following a referral from the Premier, the Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters (the Committee) resolved to undertake a comprehensive review of the PE&E Act and the EFE&D Act, referred to as the Review of the Electoral Acts inquiry. Key issues and outcomes: The Committee received evidence across a broad range of issues, which are grouped in the report under the following categories: terms and structure of the PE&E Act; role and functions of the NSWEC; enrolment and voting; and local government elections; offences and penalties under the PE&E Act; terms and structure of the EFE&D Act; role and functions of the Election Funding Authority (EFA); operation and effectiveness of recent campaign finance reforms; and public funding of local government election campaigns.