COMMONWEALTH
ELECTORAL (WAR-TIME).
No. 14 of 1944.
An
Act to amend the Commonwealth Electoral (War-time) Act 1940–1943.
[Assented
to 5th April, 1944.]
[Date
of commencement, 3rd May, 1944.]
BE it enacted by
the King’s Most Excellent Majesty, the Senate, and the House of Representatives
of the Commonwealth of Australia, as follows:—
Short title and
citation.
1.—(1.) This Act may be cited as the Commonwealth Electoral (War-time) Act 1944.
(2.) The Commonwealth
Electoral (War-time) Act 1940–1943
is in this Act referred to as the Principal Act.
(3.) The Principal Act, as amended by this Act, may
be cited as the Commonwealth Electoral (War-time) Act 1940–1944.
Members of the
Forces entitled to vote.
2.Section
six of the Principal Act is amended by inserting in sub-section (2.) after the
word “means”, the words “a person who, being a British subject, is—”.
List of candidates
to be posted.
3.Section
ten a of the Principal Act is
amended—
(a)by inserting, after the words “(if any)”,
the words “or, in the case of a Referendum, of the text of the proposed law”;
and
(b)
by adding at the end thereof the words “or, in the case of a Referendum, to the
copy of the text of the proposed law”.
4.After
section twenty-three a of the
Principal Act the following section is inserted:—
Certain accredited
persons and persons engaged on merchant vessels may vote as if they were members
of the Forces
“23aa. Notwithstanding
anything contained in this or any other Act—
(a)
an accredited war correspondent, photographer or member of a broadcasting unit,
or a person engaged in providing amenities or welfare services for members of
the Forces or performing services for the Defence Force or any part thereof; or
(b)a person engaged in sea-going service on a merchant vessel, whose ordinary
place of residence is in Australia and who is a British subject not under the
age of twenty-one years and not subject to any of the disqualifications set out
in section thirty-nine of the Common- wealth
Electoral Act 1918–1940
and who is outside Australia or in Australia north of the twenty-sixth parallel
of South Latitude may, at any place where arrangements have been made for members
of the Forces to record their votes, vote in accordance with the provisions of
this Act, in so far as those provisions are applicable, as if he were a member
of the Forces:
Provided that,
in the case of a person referred to in paragraph (a) of this section, the functions of a commanding officer and of a
commissioned officer as set out in Part II. of this Act may be performed respectively
by the commanding officer and the commissioned officers designated by the
commanding officer of the unit which that person is accompanying or with which
he is associated for the time being:
Provided also
that, in the case of a person engaged in sea-going service on a merchant
vessel, the functions of a commanding officer and of a commissioned officer as
set out in Part II. of this Act may be performed respectively by the captain or
other person in charge of the vessel and by any person designated by him.”.