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Australian Electoral Commission
The AEC may provide Commonwealth Electoral Roll information (Elector Information) to a prescribed authority. This is permitted under item 4 of the table in subsection 90B(4)of the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918 (the Electoral Act). Nevertheless, the AEC’s first obligation is to the elector and the provision of Elector Information remains at the discretion of the Commission.
A prescribed authority is defined in subsection 4(1) of the Electoral Act to be either the Agency Head of an Agency (within the meaning of the Public Service Act 1999), or the Chief Executive Officer of a Commonwealth Authority as specified in the Electoral and Referendum Regulation 2016 (the Regulation).
In accordance with section 91A of the Electoral Act, a prescribed authority may only use Elector Information for the permitted purpose/s set out against them in Schedule 1 of the Regulation.
The inclusion of an agency into the Regulation as a prescribed authority requires the assent of the minister responsible for the AEC to amend the Regulation. Contact the AEC for further information about this process.
The provision of Elector Information is at the discretion of the Commission. Any release of Elector Information will be governed by a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) entered into by the prescribed authority with the AEC for the protection of elector personal information. The MOU sets out the terms and conditions of storage, use, access and destruction of Elector Information that the Commission takes into account when deciding on exercising that discretion. The MOU does not create any right or entitlement to receive Elector Information. It is recommended that you review and consider the requirements and conditions for receiving and handling Elector Information as outlined in the MOU and associated documents and ensure that your agency is able to comply with the conditions prior to pursuing inclusion into the Regulation and submitting an application.
The AEC may provide the following Elector Information about electors to a prescribed authority:
Address information cannot be provided for silent electors and is not available for itinerant and eligible overseas electors.
Following inclusion in the Regulation and approval to receive Elector Information, prescribed authorities are required to pay the processing costs associated with extracting Elector Information of $1,887.10 (exc. GST) per extract from 31 August 2024.
The prescribed authority must agree to establish a secure file transfer link with the AEC at the expense of the authority.
The AEC acknowledges the Traditional Owners of country throughout Australia and recognises their continuing connection to land, waters, culture and community. We pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging.