Democracy & Justice Research Flagship - Projects
Bringing Democracy Home - Enfranchising Australia's Homeless Citizens
Project Code:
David MacKenzie, Brian Costar and Denise Meredyth have been funded by a Swinburne Collaborative Research grant to work with the Australian Electoral Commission on a new study of homeless people and voter registration. This is a one-year project that will bring together expertise on homelessness, electoral systems and social exclusion.
The aim of the research project is, in collaboration with the AEC, to conduct quantitative and qualitative research on the circumstances and reasons for the non-enrolment of so many homeless persons so that effective strategies may be developed to enhance their enfranchisement.
Research Team
Investigators: A/Prof David MacKenzie, Prof Brian Costar and Prof Denise Meredyth
Publications and Other Research Outputs
Context
Australia is rightly proud of the fact that it operates the most inclusive franchise in the liberal democratic world. Far in advance of all countries save New Zealand, women won the right to vote and to stand for the federal parliament through the Franchise Act 1902.
When all indigenous Australians were enfranchised by 1962 the last vestiges of exclusivity were removed (Chesterman & Phillips, 2003). All Australians whose name appears on the relevant electoral roll have the right to vote. To qualify for inclusion on the roll a person must:
- be 18 years of age or more
- be an Australian citizen
- have lived at their current address for one month.
Only the following are not entitled to be enrolled:
- those of unsound mind (this is not interpreted punitively)
- a person convicted of treason and not pardoned (there are no such persons in Australia)
- those convicted and under sentence for a crime punishable by imprisonment for five years or longer (comparatively this is a very liberal provision, especially compared to the USA where most persons convicted of any felony lose the right to vote -sometimes permanently (Costar, 2003, pp 95-7).
The latest census data (2001) records Australia's homeless population at 99,900, of whom 88,000, according to the Homeless Persons'Legal Clinic (HPLC), are eligible to enrol to vote (Joint Select Committee on Electoral Matters (JSCEM), 2003, p 83).
The magnitude of the problem can be judged from the fact that, while Section 96 of The Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918 (CEA) permits the enrolment of those without a permanent address, only 3965 persons in 2001 were enrolled pursuant to S 96. Furthermore the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) is of the view that the bulk of those enrolled under S 96 are not 'homeless'in the usual sense of that term. Rather they are itinerant workers such as shearers and fruit pickers and 'grey nomads'on prolonged caravan holidays (Shannon, 2001, p 8).
To deny such a large cohort of already disadvantaged citizens such as the homeless effective electoral enfranchisement is not compatible with Australia's otherwise highly inclusive representative democracy. Thus, this research project addresses an important political deficiency and its solution will be instructive not just in Australia but also overseas.
Contact The Swinburne Institute
The Swinburne Institute
for Social Research
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