AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY

HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY (ELECTION) REGULATIONS (AMENDMENT)

EXPLANATORY STATEMENT

No. 8 of 1982

The House of Assembly (Election) Regulations (Amendment) amends the House of Assembly (Election) Regulations to provide for more than one scrutineer to be appointed by a candidate at a polling booth and at each place at which the scrutiny takes place, and to permit candidates not belonging to a political party to have themselves identified on the ballot-paper as Independents, if they so wish.

Regulation 1 of the amending Regulations amends Regulation 40 of the House of Assembly (Election) Regulations to permit a candidate to appoint a scrutineer at each sub-division of a polling booth.

Regulation 2 of the amending Regulations amends Regulation 53 of the House of Assembly (Election) Regulations to allow the officer conducting the scrutiny to permit candidates to appoint more than one scrutineer to represent them at the place of scrutiny.  This conforms with the equivalent provision, section 130, of the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918.  Regulation 2 also prescribes the manner in which scrutineers are to be appointed.

Regulation 3 of the amending Regulations inserts Regulation 68A into the House of Assembly (Election) Regulations.  Regulation 68A allows candidates to request that they be identified on the ballot-paper as Independents, and where a group of Independents all seek to be so identified, permits the Electoral Office to bracket them as Independents on the ballot-paper.