The Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters has made 21 recommendations in its report on the “Conduct of the 2022 federal election and other matters”.
The Committee’s first recommendation is that the government consider asking the Committee to inquire into increasing the size of the House of Representatives.
The second recommendation is for territory Senate representation to be doubled from two to four.
The third recommendation is to permit on-the-day enrolment for federal elections and referendums.
The Committee also recommends that the media blackout be removed, subject to the government introducing truth in political advertising laws.
The Committee recommends that postal vote applications be no longer included with other material, a move that would disrupt the pre-election tactics of political parties. Another recommendation requires that postal vote applications must be sent directly to the Australian Electoral Commission.
An earlier interim report made a further 15 recommendations, including lowering the donation disclosure threshold to $1,000 and introducing donation and expenditure caps for federal elections, and extending these caps to third parties and associated entities.
The Joint Standing Committee is chaired by Kate Thwaites, the ALP member for Jagajaga (Vic).
A complete copy of the JSCEM Committee’s report appears below: