S1: From Vision Australia. This is talking vision. And now here's
S1: your host Sam Colley.
S2: Hello, everyone. It's great to be here with you. And
S2: for the next half hour we talk matters of blindness
S2: and low vision. Welcome to the program. This week we
S2: chat with Alex Morris from the Australian Electoral Commission, who's
S2: here to chat to me about the ways that the
S2: Commission is making voting accessible, safe and private for voters
S2: who are blind or have low vision and others with
S2: disabilities more broadly. That conversation's coming up very shortly, so
S2: make sure to stick around to find out more. Then
S2: after we hear from Alex, we've got some news and
S2: information to share. Before we finish up with a reader
S2: recommended from Francis Kelland, I hope you'll enjoy this week's
S2: episode of Talking Vision. With the Australian federal election coming
S2: up in just under a month's time. The safety, accessibility
S2: and privacy of the votes of the blind and low
S2: vision community is, of course, paramount to not only the
S2: Australian Electoral Commission, but also blindness and low vision organisations
S2: around Australia. So with that in mind, it's my great
S2: pleasure to welcome today Alex Morris from the Australian Electoral
S2: Commission to talk to us about the accessibility measures in
S2: place for voters with disabilities. Alex, welcome to Talking Vision.
S2: Thank you very much for your time today.
S3: Thank you for having me, Sam. It's a pleasure.
S2: Now, firstly, Alex, I think let's get to the heart
S2: of the matter. As people may or no doubt be aware,
S2: the election is coming up in a few weeks. And
S2: for our listeners who are blind or have low vision,
S2: they might have a little bit of anxiety or, you know,
S2: trepidation about, oh, how is my how am I going
S2: to get an accessible vote? You know, what sort of
S2: measures are in place for me? So just to put
S2: their minds at rest, so to speak, what sort of
S2: accessibility measures can the AEC promise for voters who are
S2: blind or have low vision.
S3: Of course. And first of all, I completely understand where
S3: those listeners would be coming from. It's, uh, it's something
S3: that we've worked really, really hard at, uh, at the
S3: AEC for quite some time now, and I'm really hopeful
S3: that this is going to be, uh, good news for
S3: a lot of your listeners. So first and foremost, we
S3: do have a telephone voting option available for voters who
S3: are blind or have low vision. It's the same telephone
S3: voting option that was previously made available at the last
S3: federal election for voters who had tested positive for Covid
S3: as well. But thankfully, the Covid conditions have changed somewhat
S3: and we're no longer in a position of needing to
S3: do that, which means the service is now just for
S3: blind and low vision voters, as well as people in
S3: in Antarctica, those brave explorers down there now. It's a
S3: service that hasn't started yet at the time of recording,
S3: but will be opening for registration on Tuesday the 22nd
S3: of April.
S2: Okay, that's great news. Now, what is that number for
S2: people out there and how do people sign up?
S3: So from Tuesday the 22nd, which is the same day
S3: that early voting opens across the country, you will be
S3: able to call a number. It's A18 hundred number. That's 1800 913 993.
S3: Once again that's 1800 913 993. You can call that number between
S3: 830 and 530 every weekday except for public holidays. And
S3: that's important because Anzac Day is a public holiday this
S3: year and we will register you for a telephone vote.
S2: Okay. Fantastic. Now, Alex, what's the process for people who've
S2: signed up to the telephone voting? They've rung up to
S2: cast their vote. What's the sort of steps that they
S2: can expect now?
S3: The telephone vote itself for people that haven't done it before.
S3: It's a two stage process, and it's in two stages
S3: to preserve the privacy of your ballot. Of course, Australia
S3: invented the secret ballot, and we wouldn't be doing our
S3: jobs if we just took that away for people who
S3: were blind or had low vision. So it's a two
S3: call setup. So first and foremost, you give us a
S3: call after you've registered. We verify your identity and check
S3: you off the electoral roll. We then provide an anonymous code,
S3: so you then call a second number and provide that
S3: code without providing your name. And someone on the phone
S3: will take your vote and walk you through the ballot paper.
S3: Of course, in a completely anonymous way. So the privacy
S3: of your vote is absolutely guaranteed through this process, which
S3: is a really, really important part of the process. Now,
S3: with that said, telephone voting is not the only thing
S3: that we're doing to make voting accessible. And there are
S3: a range of measures that we're going to have in
S3: place at polling places as well, including some that we
S3: have collaborated with through Vision Australia. We're looking at working
S3: with Vision Australia to develop and distribute accessible information about
S3: voting all the way through this election period.
S2: I'm very keen to hear about those. I mean, telephone
S2: voting is fantastic, but people, when they do feel like
S2: they would like to, you know, show up to the
S2: polling place in person and cast their votes that way,
S2: and they might have some mobility issues or they may
S2: have issues with different surfaces with their cane or their
S2: seeing eye dog, and they might have to deal with
S2: those sort of things. Or, you know, how do they
S2: fill out their vote in person? So I'm very keen
S2: to get those details as well. Alex.
S3: Absolutely. So the most important thing I will say is
S3: when the AEC publishes information about the locations of all
S3: of the polling places, which will be in a couple
S3: of weeks time on our polling place finder tool, you'll
S3: be able to find information about accessibility options that are
S3: available at the polling place. These will be including things about,
S3: you know, whether a polling place is fully wheelchair accessible. Now,
S3: if you're working with a cane, or if you're working
S3: with a guide dog, you might want to avoid stairs
S3: as well. So that is something that you can definitely
S3: monitor and choose a polling place or even a pre-poll
S3: voting place as well based on those criteria. We'll also
S3: have information about some of the accessibility options that we
S3: have in place, particularly for people who are blind or
S3: have low vision.
S2: And Alex, it's not just people who are blind or
S2: have low vision that the AEC is looking to make
S2: things more accessible for. Of course, you've got quite a
S2: few resources for voters who are deaf or hard of hearing,
S2: isn't that right?
S3: Of course, we have hearing loops in place in selected
S3: polling places. That's a technology that's been around for some
S3: time now. We're continuing to roll it out, and information
S3: about where those hearing loops will be available will be
S3: available on our website. It's not every polling place, of course,
S3: because with polling places, we're booking out things like school
S3: gymnasiums and church halls. Some of them just don't have
S3: the technology in place to offer that. But where we can,
S3: we do. And that information is on our website.
S2: And Alex, there's some other technology for voters who are
S2: blind or have low vision. On top of the telephone voting,
S2: there's some digital technology available at some polling places for
S2: voters who do show up to the polling place.
S3: The other really important technology that we're offering in some
S3: polling places. So again, check the polling place finder to
S3: work out which polling places you can find this technology at.
S3: Text to speech pens. Again, this is something that you
S3: might have used at previous elections. It's a great technology
S3: for the people that need it. And you can find
S3: all of that information on our website.
S2: And if all else fails, Alex, of course, there's the
S2: traditional methods of getting assistance at the polling place. So
S2: tell our listeners a little bit about how they go
S2: about that and potentially call ahead of time to let
S2: the polling place know that they might just need a
S2: little bit of extra help.
S3: Now, the other thing that is available at any polling
S3: place in Australia is, of course, the old favourite of
S3: putting your hand up and asking for assistance. You can
S3: if you have a friend with you, you can ask
S3: your friend for assistance with casting your vote. You can also,
S3: if you prefer, not to, you know, share your vote
S3: with with a with a friend or or you'd prefer
S3: to to keep that a bit more anonymous, you can
S3: talk to an AEC staff member directly and we can
S3: help you out with that process. We're not going to
S3: tell you how to vote. Of course, that's not our
S3: role and that's not something that we do. But we
S3: will walk you through. Who's on the ballot paper. Where
S3: would you like to allocate your first preference, your second preference, etc., etc.?
S3: That is something we can do if you're in a
S3: circumstance where you have there are some more serious accessibility
S3: limitations and you're not even able to get out of
S3: your car to get into a polling place, we can
S3: actually bring ballot papers out to you as well. Just
S3: flag that with our staff when you get to a
S3: polling place, or if you'd like more information about that
S3: as well, you can give us a call on 0132326,
S3: and we can talk you through the best way to
S3: approach that situation as well.
S2: And for voters who are deaf or hard of hearing, Alex,
S2: there's more options for them as well if they head
S2: along to certain polling places. Tell us a bit about that.
S3: Of course, the most important one as well. Yep. One
S3: of the options that is new at this election, I believe,
S3: or is being rolled out more at this election and
S3: is something that we're really, really proud of, is a
S3: virtual Auslan interpreter service that we're actually offering in collaboration
S3: with Convo Australia. So when you get to a polling place,
S3: there'll be a QR code that you can actually scan
S3: with your phone, and that will give you access to
S3: a virtual Auslan interpreter that you can then use while
S3: you're talking to our staff. And that will walk you
S3: through the entire voting process as well. So a really,
S3: really important accessibility measure and something that I hope people
S3: are okay.
S2: That is fantastic news for, you know, both the blind
S2: and low vision and deaf and hard of hearing communities. Now, Alex,
S2: let's get all of those contact details, all those websites,
S2: all those emails, all those phone numbers for all of
S2: our listeners out there. So that's, you know, how to
S2: sign up for telephone voting or visit some websites or
S2: emails to find out about that, how to find out
S2: about the accessibility measures at polling places, or any general
S2: information they might be interested in. What are some first
S2: call go to places for people to contact the Aacn
S2: find out more.
S3: Of course the repository of all wisdom is AEC. That
S3: is our website. It has been updated for the election
S3: and will continue to be updated as as the election
S3: continues and we roll out the locations of polling places,
S3: we'll also have information up about the names and the
S3: ballot paper position of candidates. Once we've done the draw
S3: for ballot paper position that's happening next Friday. So look
S3: out for that. And we have information available specifically about
S3: the accessibility options available to voters at AEC. Accessibility. You
S3: can visit that page at any point during the period
S3: and give us a call on 0132326. And our staff
S3: can help you out with the answers to the questions
S3: that you have. But the other thing that you can
S3: do is that you can contact the AEC through the
S3: National Relay Service. Now we have information about how to
S3: do that on our website. But the National Relay Service
S3: have been a partner for us for some time, and
S3: we're really happy to be working with them again at
S3: this election. And they are a great resource to get
S3: you some more accessible information and to contact us in
S3: a more accessible way. If you're on social media. You're
S3: also welcome to reach out to us, either in a
S3: public tag or just by sending us a DM. We
S3: are active on Facebook, we are active on Instagram. We
S3: are active on threads. You can find us on TikTok
S3: for the first time. We're also on the site formerly
S3: known as Twitter, now known as X, and you can
S3: even find us on LinkedIn if you're feeling a little
S3: bit more professionally minded, but you're welcome to reach out
S3: to us via a DM or a tag on those platforms.
S3: We'll be happy to answer your questions there as well.
S2: Oh wow, that's certainly covered all bases there. Thank you
S2: so much, Alex. I've been speaking today with Alex Morris
S2: from the Australian Electoral Commission here to chat to me
S2: about the range of accessibility measures for voters who are
S2: blind or have low vision or otherwise. Voters with disabilities
S2: heading to polling places or signing up for telephone voting
S2: in the lead up to the Australian federal election in May. Alex,
S2: thank you so much for your time today. It was
S2: great to catch up with you and hear about all
S2: the ways that the AEC is making voting accessible for
S2: all voters in Australia with disabilities.
S3: It's been my pleasure, Sam. Have a lovely election and
S3: I look forward to seeing you at a polling place.
S2: I'm Sam Culley and you're listening to Talking Vision. On
S2: Vision Australia Radio, Associated Stations of Reading Radio and the
S2: Community Radio Network. I hope you enjoyed that conversation there
S2: with Alex Morris. If you missed any part of that
S2: conversation with Alex or you would love to hear it again.
S2: Talking vision is available on the Vision Australia Radio website.
S2: Simply head to VA radio Dot. That's VA radio all
S2: one word.org. Or you can find the program on the
S2: podcast app of your choice or through the Vision Australia library.
S2: And now it's time this week for some news and information.
S2: Noble May is conducting a national research project entitled Understanding
S2: Election Accessibility for Australians with disability to better understand how
S2: accessible the voting process is for people with disabilities, particularly
S2: in the lead up to the 2025 federal election. This
S2: work is not about political views or party preferences. Instead,
S2: it focuses on the accessibility of voting itself, including how
S2: to vote information, candidate materials, physical and digital voting environments,
S2: and the overall ease of participating in our democracy. What
S2: they're looking to achieve is to identify common barriers to
S2: voting for people with disability across different formats, such as in-person,
S2: postal or telephone. Explore how accessible and inclusive election information is.
S2: For example, how to vote guides and candidate policies. Collect
S2: lived experiences that illustrate what's working and what's not. And
S2: to inform future improvements in election accessibility through insight led advocacy.
S2: The research includes a short screener survey open to all
S2: knowable Me May members and the wider community. Participants who
S2: provide detailed responses may be invited to participate in a
S2: longer $15 paid follow up survey, available either online or
S2: by phone. In terms of who they're looking for, they're
S2: seeking feedback from people with disability or access needs who
S2: have voted before or planned to vote in the upcoming
S2: federal election. The eligibility survey went live on the 2nd
S2: of April 2025, and rolling invitations for paid survey interviews
S2: are going out from the 7th of April. If you
S2: haven't already taken part in the survey, there's still time
S2: as the survey is open until the end of the
S2: 14th of April, 2025. To find out more, visit noble.com. Me,
S2: that's k n o w a b l e dot
S2: m or call 043518557. That's 04351855. Double seven to take part.
S2: In other news, the Australian Disability Network Internship Program is
S2: still open for applications until the 20th of April. Australian
S2: Disability Network's internship program provides paid, practical work experience for
S2: university students and recent graduates with disability. They understand the
S2: unique challenges you may face, such as gaps in your
S2: resume or limited access to part time work while studying.
S2: Through this internship program, you'll have the chance to work
S2: with inclusive employers who value diverse talent and are committed
S2: to creating accessible workplaces. These internships are designed to help
S2: you build your confidence, gain valuable experience, and take the
S2: next steps toward your career goals. The internship period runs
S2: from July to September 2025, and as mentioned, applications are
S2: open until the 20th of April. If you have any questions,
S2: please don't hesitate to contact Paula or the programs team
S2: at applications at Ausdance. That's applications at. Now you might
S2: be thinking Who's Paula? I haven't heard of Paula before. Well,
S2: here and there you may have heard Brooke Carter on
S2: the program. She was previously the program coordinator at Australian
S2: Disability Network. But that's now Paula Bushell as Brooke is
S2: moving on to another role in the organization, which is
S2: very exciting. So all the best to Brooke. But yes,
S2: if you'd love to find out a bit more about
S2: the internships, get in touch with Paula. Get in touch
S2: with the applications team. Or you can also head to
S2: the Australian Disability Network website at Australian Disability Network. That's
S2: Australian disability network. And finally this week we've got some
S2: exciting news about 100 K yoga. The momentum from the
S2: first wake of 100 K has been incredible. Vision Australia
S2: radios for teams collectively raised over $12,000, which took us
S2: three weeks to achieve in 2024. What an incredible effort. Well,
S2: this week, 100 K yoga partners Specsavers will be doubling
S2: every donation received on Friday the 11th of April. Every
S2: $1 raised on Matched Giving Day will be worth $2,
S2: with Specsavers matching up to $15,000 in fundraising. This is
S2: for one day only, so spread the word for all
S2: those listeners out there who are hearing this today. Let
S2: everyone know, check it out and make a donation on
S2: Friday the 11th. So remind your friends, family, and even
S2: any friendly strangers you meet during the week to visit
S2: the Vision Australia Radio website and click on the 100
S2: way link to donate and double their impact on Friday
S2: the 11th of April. Once you click through from the
S2: front page, you'll find direct links to the Perth, Melbourne,
S2: Adelaide or regional radio teams to ensure they support Vision
S2: Australia radio and the vital work we do for the
S2: print disability community. That website again for people out there.
S2: VA radio.org. That's VA radio all one word.org. And now
S2: here's Frances Cleland with a reader recommended.
S4: For those who like to follow the political machinations that
S4: go on behind the scenes sometimes. So if you're not
S4: sick of politics at this point in time, this is
S4: a book by Niki Savva. It's called Plots and Prayers.
S4: In an enthralling sequel to her best selling The Road
S4: to Ruin. Niki Savva reveals the inside story of a
S4: bungled coup that overthrew the Liberal Prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull,
S4: and installed a surprise successor, Scott Morrison, who went on
S4: to take the party to a miraculous electoral victory on
S4: the 21st of August 20, 18, 35 Liberal MPs cast
S4: their vote against Malcolm Turnbull, effectively signalling the end of
S4: his leadership. Three days later, the deed was done and
S4: Scott Morrison was anointed prime minister. Tony Abbott's relentless campaign
S4: of destabilisation, helped along by his acolytes in the Parliament
S4: and by his powerful media mates, the betrayals of colleagues
S4: and the rise of the religious right climaxing in Peter
S4: Dutton's challenge, all played a part in Turnbull's downfall, but
S4: so did Turnbull's own poor political judgement. He was a
S4: good prime minister and a terrible politician. The good bits
S4: of Malcolm were not enough to make up for the
S4: bad Malcolm. Nevertheless, the sheer brutality of his removal left
S4: many liberals aghast. MPs were traumatised or humiliated by eight
S4: days of madness. Men and women cried from sheer anguish.
S4: They went through hell and feared when it was over
S4: that they would not make it back, and nor would
S4: the Liberal Party. As it turned out, redemption came with
S4: Morrison's unexpected single handed 2019 election victory. Turnbull's road ended
S4: in ruins as it was always bound to and as
S4: he always knew it would. As he predicted to Niki
S4: Savva less than three years before it happened. But when
S4: his end was imminent, he could not bear to let
S4: it go. And when it was over, he was defiant, fragile, and, yes, vengeful.
S4: This is the inside story of what happened and what
S4: happened next. Let's hear a sample of Plots and Prayers
S4: by Niki Savva. It's narrated by Daniel Wilks.
S5: Malcolm Turnbull does not believe that Scott Morrison's stunning election
S5: victory vindicated the coup against him. Turnbull remains confident he
S5: could have won in 2019 and besides, the revolt by
S5: the right was designed to install Peter Dutton, not Morrison,
S5: as prime minister. The last person Dutton and his backers
S5: wanted to lead the party was Turnbull. The second last
S5: was Morrison. Turnbull also firmly believes that by holding out
S5: against the insurgents during coup week by delaying a second ballot,
S5: he gave Morrison precious time to gather the numbers to
S5: triumph over Dutton. If there was any consolation for Turnbull,
S5: this was it, particularly as he and those closest to
S5: him had warned the plotters that if they persisted, the
S5: week would end with Morrison, whom they disliked, being sworn
S5: in as prime minister. It was only a part of
S5: Turnbull's strategy that Morrison should succeed. The other part, the
S5: primary objective, of course, was to save himself. Morrison, the
S5: most astute conservative politician of his generation, did need the
S5: extra time that Turnbull bought him. But the plotting and
S5: planning by his lieutenants was already well advanced. It is
S5: impossible to get to where he got in 24 hours,
S5: which is what he later wanted people to believe. Morrison
S5: had done what he could to save Turnbull from himself.
S5: He knew he would be damaged if people thought he
S5: had ascended to the Liberal leadership by being disloyal, or
S5: if he had blood on his hands. The image of
S5: him as a clean skin was vital to his success.
S5: This did not stop some of his backers from talking
S5: about how it happened. Nor his enemies from trying to
S5: sully his reputation. He would not allow any of this
S5: to distract him from his singular objective of winning an
S5: election already deemed lost through the disunity and the despair
S5: that had embedded itself in Liberal ranks after the knifing
S5: of two prime ministers.
S4: That was plots and prayers by Niki Savva. Niki is
S4: spelt n I k I sorry n I k I
S4: and Savva is sa double v a s a double
S4: v a. That book goes for about 14.5 hours.
S2: And that's all the time we have for today. You've
S2: been listening to Talking Vision. Talking vision is a Vision
S2: Australia radio production. Thanks to all involved with putting the
S2: show together every week. And remember, we love hearing from you.
S2: So please get in touch anytime on our email at
S2: Talking Vision. Vision Australia. That's talking vision all. One word
S2: at Vision Australia dot. But until next week it's Sam
S2: Corley saying bye for now.
S1: You can contact Vision Australia by phoning us anytime during
S1: business hours on one 384 746. That's one 384 74 six.
S1: Or by visiting Vision Australia. That's Vision Australia.