The Electoral Legislation Amendment (Voter Integrity) Bill 2021 sought to impose a voter identification requirement on every elector at the next election, in a deliberate attempt to suppress the vote in some of our most marginalised communities.

I am pleased to say that Labor has been successful in our campaign to stop this law.  The Government has confirmed that this legislation will not proceed at any time before the 2022 federal election.

This is a huge win for democracy.  There was never a need for these laws – Australia’s electoral system is one of the best in the world, and worth protecting.

The Australian Electoral Commission confirmed that the number of vote discrepancies at Australian elections is ‘vanishingly small’ and no one was prosecuted for multiple voting at the 2019 federal election.

Scott Morrison’s plans would not only have seen a return to long queues at polling booths, doubling the time it takes to vote, but would also disenfranchise vulnerable Australians by preventing them from exercising their democratic right to vote.

Labor will always fight for every Australian having the right to participate equally in our democracy.