Got a letter in the mail today from the AEC, addressed to my mum. She’s being fined for not voting in last year’s referendum.
This despite not living in the country, or having lived in the country for nearly 20 years. And not having been fined for any of the other elections during that time period.
It’s $20. The penalty notice comes with a reply-paid envelope and a spot on a form to explain if you have “a valid and sufficient reason for not voting”.
It also says that a failure to pay the $20 penalty, or respond with a valid reason, could result in a fine of up to $313 plus court costs and a criminal conviction. Conveniently, it also has a place for me to list my name as a “person acting on elector’s behalf”.
It’s not really an issue. I’ll reply to the letter stating she’s out of the country and I’m basically 100% certain they’ll drop it. Probably without even bothering to cross-reference whether I’m telling the truth.
surely the AEC can check with immigration whether I voter is in the country or not
Maybe, but I don’t they could do that, even if they wanted to. And I very much doubt they would bother with that level of effort.
Government departments infamously don’t often talk to each other, sometimes because of privacy regulations, other times just because they function as separate organisations and that institutional practice just isn’t there.
Got a letter in the mail today from the AEC, addressed to my mum. She’s being fined for not voting in last year’s referendum.
This despite not living in the country, or having lived in the country for nearly 20 years. And not having been fined for any of the other elections during that time period.
Wow, they really wanted her to vote in that referendum.
Can you say how much the fine is? I am a little curious.
It’s $20. The penalty notice comes with a reply-paid envelope and a spot on a form to explain if you have “a valid and sufficient reason for not voting”.
It also says that a failure to pay the $20 penalty, or respond with a valid reason, could result in a fine of up to $313 plus court costs and a criminal conviction. Conveniently, it also has a place for me to list my name as a “person acting on elector’s behalf”.
Congratulations for not living in Australia, have a fine and criminal conviction as your prize 🙄
I don’t know the ins and outs, but surely the AEC can check with immigration whether I voter is in the country or not?
It’s not really an issue. I’ll reply to the letter stating she’s out of the country and I’m basically 100% certain they’ll drop it. Probably without even bothering to cross-reference whether I’m telling the truth.
Maybe, but I don’t they could do that, even if they wanted to. And I very much doubt they would bother with that level of effort.
Government departments infamously don’t often talk to each other, sometimes because of privacy regulations, other times just because they function as separate organisations and that institutional practice just isn’t there.