Commonwealth voter ID Bill would erode Aboriginal trust in government: D’Anna

Proposed laws which would require voters to provide ID before casting a ballot will further disenfranchise Aboriginal people and remote communities in the Goldfields, say WA Indigenous advocates. However, the Commonwealth Government claims no people will be denied a vote or turned away from a polling centre under the proposed changes. The Morrison Government introduced the Electoral Legislation Amendment (Voter Integrity) Bill last week and intends to crack down on alleged voter fraud by enforcing ID checks at polling stations. Under the proposed Bill, a person unable to produce ID could still vote if their identity is verified by another voter or if they cast a declaration vote, which requires further details such as their date of birth and a signature. Kimberley MLA Divina D’Anna said it was likely people from remote regions would be discouraged from voting if the reforms were passed. “Aboriginal people have a long history of not trusting government and this further contributes to that problem,” she said. “I don’t understand the need for it. “Yes, they say there are other forms of ID you can bring in, but it’s still just another hurdle for people who are already disenfranchised with the system.” Ms D’Anna said she was also disappointed by the rushed nature of the Bill. “It’s just popped out of nowhere in the lead-up to the election,” she said. “I think people should think about the motivations behind it — who benefits? “Who are the people less likely to vote because of the changes?” Federal Special Minister of State Ben Morton said the Bill’s broad range of accepted types of ID, as well as the back-up measures, would ensure all eligible voters could cast a ballot. “This Bill is about maintaining confidence in our strong and fair electoral system,” he said. “It will bring Australia into line with the vast majority of other liberal democracies, including Canada, France, Sweden and Belgium. “It was disappointing that Labor had not even read, or taken any opportunity to understand, the design of these measures prior to making groundless claims against the Bill — their opposition was purely ideological.” WA Labor Senator Pat Dodson said the changes would prevent many Aboriginal people from voting because they did not have easy access to official ID and many people lived in communities where English was not the first language.