COMMITTEES

Mr LAXALE (Bennelong) (16:29): On behalf of the Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters, I present the committee's interim report incorporating dissenting reports entitled Inquiry into the conduct of the 2025 federal election. Report made a parliamentary paper in accordance with standing order 39(e). Mr LAXALE: by leave—Australians have a lot to be proud about: our values and culture, our lifestyle and natural environment and our economy and standard of living.

We should also be incredibly proud of our world-class electoral system. For a long time we've had the privilege of participating in a healthy, vibrant and safe democracy characterised by high standards of conduct, transparency and fairness. But something happened at the 2025 federal election.

It was something that felt like an assault on our democracy, especially in targeted seats. Many describe this assault by third parties identified in submissions to the committee, like the Plymouth Brethren and ADVANCE, as a fundamental disruption to the foundations of our free and fair voting process. This parliament cannot ignore this evidence.

In an electoral system where it is compulsory for adults to participate, every effort must be made to ensure that the electoral process is safe, fair and inviting for all involved. In reviewing the 2025 election, the committee is considering a purported increase in antisocial conduct which impacted this experience for voters, political participants, volunteers and Australian Electoral Commission officials.

The inquiry is also looking at potential reform to safety and security arrangements, including the AEC's powers and capacity to address this conduct. It is also considering universal voter access and the suitability of authorisation requirements, noting our rapidly changing communication technology. The inquiry is also looking at domestic interference in our electoral processes.

There have been 360 submissions to the inquiry to date. Many submissions illustrate experiences with aggressive and intimidating conduct at polling places and a rise in activity by third parties in the electoral process. Submissions have also highlighted concerns regarding the authorisation and enforcement of political advertising, especially in an evolving technological landscape.

The committee has conducted 12 hearings in locations around Australia, with evidence received from a range of witnesses. The interim report makes 13 recommendations in time for the government and the parliament to consider their implementation before the next federal election. The committee has recommended reviewing the thresholds under the significant third party and associated entity framework to capture coordinated involvement in elections at scale.

The committee has also recommended that an enforceable and mandatory code of conduct be developed for all participants at polling places. Recommendations also include registration for polling booth campaigners and strengthening the AEC's statutory powers to address misconduct at polling places. The interim report recommends the creation of a new campaign zone in which the code of conduct is enforceable and that the number of campaigners and the amount of campaign signage is reduced and regulated.

These recommendations respond directly to the many accounts of overwhelming, unsafe and intimidatory experiences at polling places during the 2025 federal election in targeted electorates. To counter concerns about deliberate interference in Australia's electoral processes, the interim report recommends a review of electoral laws to protect the process and, importantly, to protect voter experience from domestic interference.

Interestingly, the Election Integrity Assurance Taskforce, while easily able to define and identify foreign interference, did not do the same for domestic interference. In the face of evidence received by the committee to date, a strong argument can be made that any behaviour designed to dissuade participation in the electoral process could be considered domestic interference.

In order to protect the electoral process, the committee recommends that the matter of domestic interference be considered and addressed as a priority. The committee also heard that the authorisation framework and requirements for electoral matter are increasingly out of step with our communication and technological landscape and lack clarity regarding third parties engaging in political communication.

Recommendations have been made to ensure accountability for communications and that the AEC has appropriate enforcement powers to remove or block non-compliant material. The committee also recommends that privacy and safety risks be urgently addressed in relation to public access terminals. Not all of the inquiry's terms of reference are addressed in this interim report, and more evidence needs to be sought and considered with regard to the use of generative AI in electoral matter, the consideration of fixed and extended terms of parliament and on the size of parliament as a whole.

The committee will continue to hold public hearings, consider evidence and address all terms of reference in its final report due in November 2026. I move: That the House take note of the report.