Referendum boosts enrolments

THE Voice to Parliament referendum scheduled for later this year has been cited as a factor in a large increase in electoral enrolments.

The Voice is about giving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people on the ground in communities around Australia a seat at the table when decisions are being made on policies that will impact our lives.

What tangible outcomes will this have for First Peoples living in their communities?

The advice provided by the Voice will mean the government is getting the best information from the ground to create better laws and policies which will result in better outcomes across the board on matters such as health, housing, criminal justice and education.

What do you fear will happen (or not happen) in the event that the referendum is unsuccessful?

We have faith that the Australian population will seize the opportunity to walk with us towards a brighter future and will support the yes vote at referendum.

What is the most important thing people should think about when they vote in the referendum later this year?

This is a reform we can all be proud of. As a nation, we have a once-in-alifetime opportunity to make history together by listening to the calls of First Peoples.

The Australian Electoral Commission has revealed that the nation’s electoral roll has grown by another 75,000 people in the first quarter of 2023.

Electoral Commissioner Tom Rogers said that as of March 31, 2023 a total of 17,446,514 people were enrolled to vote.

“Australia’s enrolment sits at an estimated 97.2 per cent complete ahead of the referendum with further growth expected in the coming months,” he said.

“Importantly, the number of people estimated to be unenrolled has dropped in the first quarter of 2023 by another 11,350 – from 513,000 at the end of 2022 to approximately 502,000 now.

“Since the start of the year we’ve processed more than a million enrolment transactions – a combination of new enrolments and updates through direct enrolment, prompted by AEC communication and engagement activities as well as other societal motivations.

“Quite simply, Australia’s continually increasing national enrolment rate is the envy of democratic nations across the world. “In my time as Commissioner since 2014 the electoral roll has grown by more than 2.5 million people.”

Premier backs papers

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QUEENSLAND Premier An- nastacia Palaszczuk has described regional newspapers as ‘absolutely vital’ and as the ‘lifeblood of their communities’ before offering to help ensure that a larger share of the Queensland state government advertising budget be directed at communicating with regional Queenslanders through independent regional newspapers.

She made the comments at the Queensland Country Press Association (QCPA) conference in Brisbane last week, referring to the ‘resurgence’ of independent newspaper publishers in Queensland as a contributing factor.

QCPA secretary Phill Le Petit said the announcement from Ms Palaszczuk followed the recent Victorian government commitment to ensuring one full page of government advertising was placed in every regional newspaper every week.

“The premier’s pledge also aligns with key findings from a recently released Deakin University report on media innovation which found that ‘securing the future of quality and reliable news and information platforms in non-metropolitan areas is in the national interest’,” he said.

The Deakin report refers to numerous senate inquiries examining aspects of rural and regional news since 2016.