28th Oct 2021, 11:04 AM – Representatives Motions - Electoral Roll - Don't let a vote happen

The majority voted in favour of disagreeing with a motion introduced by Grayndler MP Anthony Albanese (Labor), which means the motion failed. The motion was to suspend the usual procedural rules of parliament - known as standing orders - in order to let another vote happen.

Motion text

That so much of the standing orders be suspended as would prevent the Leader of the Opposition from moving the following motion immediately:

That the House:

(1) notes:

(a) voter fraud is a "vanishingly small" issue in Australia according to the AEC;

(b) there were no prosecutions for multiple voting at the last election;

(c) on the eve of an election, the Morrison-Joyce Government is trying to ram through a bill to stop Australians voting;

(d) this is a desperate attempt to undermine our strong democracy and deny Australians their basic democratic rights;

(e) the Morrison-Joyce Government is trying to bring the politics and tactics of Trump's America into Australian democracy; and

(f) the bill will mean Australians who vote in the next election will spend even more of their weekend waiting in long lines stretching around the block to vote; and

(2) discharges Government business notice number 6 relating to the Electoral Legislation Amendment (Voter Integrity) Bill 2021 from the Notice Paper.