EXPLANATORY STATEMENT
Issued by the authority of the Minister for Immigration and Multicultural
and Indigenous Affairs
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission Act 1989
TORRES STRAIT REGIONAL AUTHORITY
ELECTION AMENDMENT RULES 2003 (No.1)
These Amendment Rules were made under subsection 143G(1) of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission Act 1989 (the Act). That subsection provides that the Minister may, after consulting with the Torres Strait Regional Authority (TSRA) and the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC), make rules about the manner in which TSRA elections under the Act are to be conducted.
Existing TSRA Election Rules facilitate the conduct of the election of the two members of the TSRA who are elected under the Act. The remaining members of the TSRA are members of the Island Coordinating Council who are elected under the Queensland Community Services (Torres Strait) Act 1984. These Amendment Rules reflect the technical changes which were made to the ATSIC Regional Council Election Rules for the October 2002 ATSIC elections in order to provide increased efficiency in the conduct of elections and a more effective service to voters. TSRA elections will be held in April 2004.
The Schedule of Amendments is as follows:
Items 1 and 3 specify certain functions of the Returning Officer.
Items 3 -14 set out technical requirements for postal voting.
Items 15 -19 provide for further investigation of eligibility of postal and pre-poll votes by a regional panel (comprising of the senior liaison officer and 2 Indigenous persons) together with other procedures for certification and scrutiny of votes.
Items 20 - 22 set out procedures at mobile polling booths.
Items 23 - 25 substitute a regional panel for the senior liaison officer and allow an affected voter to seek review by a regional panel.
Items 26 -28 sets out the procedures for scrutiny of votes.
Items 29 -33 provide for computerised scrutiny of votes and election recounts.
Items 2, 34,35, 36, 37,38, 39, 40 amend existing criminal responsibility provisions to harmonise them with the Criminal Code contained in the schedule to the Criminal Code Act 1995.
The Amendment Rules commenced upon gazettal.