Mail-order marriage equality vote won’t work, ACT findings show

PETER Dutton is certainly pushing the bounds of plausibility with this one. He’s suggested an old fashioned postal vote for same-sex marriage.

People have been fighting for same-sex marriage rights in Australia for a long time. Picture: Carol Cho / AAP

THE proposal to decide same-sex marriage by a postal plebiscite of voters has been quickly dismissed as too bold if not outright absurd.

And now there is evidence it would be a disaster.

The idea is being pushed around by Immigration Minister Peter Dutton who personally is opposed to same-sex marriage but wants the matter out of the way and off the political agenda.

The Senate has rejected the Government’s proposal for a full national plebiscite followed by legislation if the change to the Marriage Act is endorsed.

Now there is Mr Dutton’s suggestion that the postie could do the work.

The problems with this have been underlined with a report by the Australian Capital Territory Electoral Commission that hundreds of postal ballots in last year’s local election didn’t turn up on time.

There were 318 errant postal votes in the 2012 election. In 2016 the total reached 701.

That’s a tiny fraction of the number of registered voters, but would be a considerable number if the same proportion applied to 16.5 million federal voters.

The ballot result would lack credibility if it relied on Australia Post, based on findings by the ACT election organisers.

“This is a strong indication that the current postal service is not meeting the requirements for long distance postal voting,” said ACT Electoral Commissioner Phillip Green

“A significant number of electors were disenfranchised in 2016 as a result of their residency in an overseas location.

“There is genuine concern across Australian electoral jurisdictions that recent alterations to Australia Post’s business model is resulting in increased delivery times for postal items and in turn is potentially increasing the likelihood that a postal vote may be rejected.”

But a mail plebiscite certainly would be cheaper than a regular ballot which could cost $160 million if run outside a federal election.

However, there is no certainty that difficulties in some of those regular elections — such as in Western Australia where the Senate election had to be re-run — wouldn’t be multiplied in a postal poll.

Then there is the danger of the postal ballot being more open to manipulated.

“I’ve done more postal ballots than the lot of them and I could fix one up in a flash,” joked one election campaign veteran.

Minister for Immigration Peter Dutton probably won’t get his postal vote idea passed if he’s relying on Australia Post. Picture: Sam Mooy / AAP

Originally published as Mail-order marriage equality vote won’t work, ACT findings show