1 00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:01,960 Speaker 1: Right, Well, major changes are coming on how you can 2 00:00:02,040 --> 00:00:05,920 Speaker 1: vote in the general elections. The government's scraps same day enrollments, 3 00:00:05,960 --> 00:00:09,160 Speaker 1: meaning you must now enroll to vote before early voting starts. 4 00:00:09,200 --> 00:00:11,120 Speaker 1: You're going to do that two weeks before election day, 5 00:00:11,800 --> 00:00:14,239 Speaker 1: and free food, drinks and entertainment of voting booths will 6 00:00:14,240 --> 00:00:17,639 Speaker 1: also be banned. Labor says tens of thousands of people 7 00:00:17,640 --> 00:00:20,520 Speaker 1: will miss out on exercising their democratic right to vote 8 00:00:20,600 --> 00:00:23,799 Speaker 1: as a result of today's changes. And Duncan web is 9 00:00:24,760 --> 00:00:27,360 Speaker 1: Labour's just a spokesperson and joins you this morning, immantity 10 00:00:27,400 --> 00:00:27,840 Speaker 1: of Duncan. 11 00:00:28,560 --> 00:00:31,320 Speaker 2: Good morning, Good for you. 12 00:00:31,400 --> 00:00:34,159 Speaker 1: Now, why is this limiting democracy? A deadline is a deadline, 13 00:00:34,159 --> 00:00:36,240 Speaker 1: whether it's on the day or two weeks beforehand. Just 14 00:00:36,320 --> 00:00:38,040 Speaker 1: go out there and enroll. 15 00:00:38,159 --> 00:00:40,440 Speaker 2: Well, look, I guess the numbers speak for themselves. There 16 00:00:40,479 --> 00:00:44,080 Speaker 2: are one hundred and ten thousand people who didn't get 17 00:00:44,159 --> 00:00:47,800 Speaker 2: round to sorting out their enrollment prior to election day 18 00:00:47,800 --> 00:00:51,800 Speaker 2: for whatever reason, you know, busy people working, people looking 19 00:00:51,880 --> 00:00:54,840 Speaker 2: after kids inside. But and then they decide, gee, I 20 00:00:54,880 --> 00:00:57,040 Speaker 2: forgot that I want to vote. I'm going to go 21 00:00:57,120 --> 00:00:59,040 Speaker 2: down What do you know I can do it right here? 22 00:01:00,040 --> 00:01:03,040 Speaker 2: I think that those hundred and ten thousand people actually 23 00:01:03,080 --> 00:01:04,560 Speaker 2: have as much right to have a say and who 24 00:01:04,600 --> 00:01:06,160 Speaker 2: runs the country as anyone else does. 25 00:01:06,400 --> 00:01:08,000 Speaker 1: But there's an obligation when you get a vote, and 26 00:01:08,240 --> 00:01:11,800 Speaker 1: one of those obligations is to enroll. And they obviously 27 00:01:11,800 --> 00:01:14,080 Speaker 1: didn't think much of the election and they weren't involved 28 00:01:14,080 --> 00:01:17,000 Speaker 1: in the democratic process if they couldn't get enrolled two 29 00:01:17,040 --> 00:01:19,800 Speaker 1: weeks before the election, there. 30 00:01:19,720 --> 00:01:23,440 Speaker 2: Is an obligation to be enrolled. And you know, I'm 31 00:01:23,440 --> 00:01:26,119 Speaker 2: sure a lot of people appreciate that. When you're moving 32 00:01:26,160 --> 00:01:29,400 Speaker 2: houses and you know, you've got a lot on your mind, 33 00:01:29,440 --> 00:01:31,720 Speaker 2: you don't always think and I've got to get hold 34 00:01:31,720 --> 00:01:34,200 Speaker 2: of the Electoral Commission and let them know my new address. 35 00:01:34,360 --> 00:01:37,560 Speaker 1: Dunk in the letter and the ad campaign arrives months 36 00:01:37,600 --> 00:01:39,920 Speaker 1: before the election. You got plenty of time. Two weeks 37 00:01:40,000 --> 00:01:42,120 Speaker 1: is the deadline. Get You could have done it three 38 00:01:42,160 --> 00:01:43,440 Speaker 1: months ago before you were moving. 39 00:01:44,160 --> 00:01:47,200 Speaker 2: Oh, you know, the ad campaign's out there. Not everyone's 40 00:01:47,240 --> 00:01:49,480 Speaker 2: watching TV and looking at those kinds of things. But 41 00:01:49,480 --> 00:01:52,200 Speaker 2: you've got to remember these are people, mainly people who 42 00:01:52,200 --> 00:01:55,880 Speaker 2: have moved. So the letter, which sometimes doesn't arrive, but 43 00:01:56,000 --> 00:01:57,920 Speaker 2: often goes to the old address, not the new one. 44 00:01:58,080 --> 00:02:01,920 Speaker 2: So there's all kind of administrative reasons why people might 45 00:02:01,960 --> 00:02:04,200 Speaker 2: not enroll to vote. And if you're going to say, well, look, 46 00:02:04,200 --> 00:02:06,320 Speaker 2: if you're not onto it, you don't remember that you've 47 00:02:06,360 --> 00:02:09,160 Speaker 2: got to change your enrollment every time your move house, 48 00:02:09,200 --> 00:02:11,720 Speaker 2: and a lot of people move houses frequently. Students are 49 00:02:11,760 --> 00:02:12,880 Speaker 2: a great example of that. 50 00:02:13,320 --> 00:02:16,160 Speaker 1: Okay, well, there's a lot of people who are insinuating 51 00:02:16,200 --> 00:02:18,480 Speaker 1: that the reason you are defending the right to enroll 52 00:02:18,560 --> 00:02:21,919 Speaker 1: on the election day is because you believe later rollers 53 00:02:22,000 --> 00:02:23,120 Speaker 1: are left voters. 54 00:02:23,240 --> 00:02:26,920 Speaker 2: Are you no, Look, I think this is about everyone. 55 00:02:26,960 --> 00:02:30,560 Speaker 2: There's all kinds of reasons people will forget to change 56 00:02:30,560 --> 00:02:33,760 Speaker 2: their enrollment details. Some of them will be left, some 57 00:02:33,840 --> 00:02:37,200 Speaker 2: of them won't. But every single vote counts, and I'd 58 00:02:37,280 --> 00:02:40,600 Speaker 2: rather have an enrollment system where everyone gets a crack. 59 00:02:41,160 --> 00:02:44,640 Speaker 2: They're one where you know, two electorates worth. Some people 60 00:02:44,840 --> 00:02:47,480 Speaker 2: don't get to vote because they weren't quite onto it. 61 00:02:47,960 --> 00:02:50,040 Speaker 1: Okay, what about the treating the food, the drink and 62 00:02:50,040 --> 00:02:53,640 Speaker 1: the entertainment. I mean that is actually a very mainor bribe, 63 00:02:53,680 --> 00:02:54,000 Speaker 1: is it not. 64 00:02:55,360 --> 00:02:59,280 Speaker 2: You look, the rules around serving food or drinks and 65 00:02:59,320 --> 00:03:02,840 Speaker 2: so on around the voting have always been a bit murky, 66 00:03:03,400 --> 00:03:06,359 Speaker 2: and we actually support it and recommended in the Select 67 00:03:06,360 --> 00:03:09,160 Speaker 2: Committee that there be some changes around us. So it's 68 00:03:08,720 --> 00:03:11,960 Speaker 2: really good clarification to say, look, one hundred meters of 69 00:03:11,960 --> 00:03:15,120 Speaker 2: a voting place, you can't be offering sausages or hungry 70 00:03:15,240 --> 00:03:16,639 Speaker 2: or whatever it might be good. 71 00:03:16,680 --> 00:03:18,840 Speaker 1: Soeff Duncan, I thank you for your time this morning. Duncan, 72 00:03:18,880 --> 00:03:20,080 Speaker 1: Web Labor spokesperson. 73 00:03:20,880 --> 00:03:23,880 Speaker 2: For more from Early Edition with Ryan Bridge. Listen live 74 00:03:24,000 --> 00:03:27,000 Speaker 2: to news Talks it be from five am weekdays, or 75 00:03:27,080 --> 00:03:28,959 Speaker 2: follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.