Joe Martin-Jard, the chief executive of the Northern Land Council, which represents some of the most remote Indigenous communities in the Northern Territory, says the current rules requiring voters to enrol in advance with proof of ID could limit the number of Indigenous Australians voting.
The government opposed crossbench amendments to the Referendum Machinery Provisions Act that would have expanded voting eligibility to prisoners and granted on-the-day enrolment and voting, saying that the amendment needed to align referendum rules with voting rules at general parliamentary elections.
The AEC said there was a range of work and initiatives under way to have as many people enrolled to vote as possible, adding that its Indigenous Electoral Participation Program was working hard to get people to enrol to vote and understand the voting process. The AEC is assessing the translations of materials for the referendum, it said.
Martin-Jard said there are already barriers for many people in remote communities. For some, their primary language is their local language and some may need to travel by car to get to their nearest polling stations.
Martin-Jard said he wants voting cards to be as simple and as inclusive as possible.
He said he and others had raised the concerns in the committee examining the Referendum Machinery Provisions Act in December, urging the government to ensure as many Indigenous people as possible are able to cast their vote in the referendum.
Martin-Jard said it was critical that all Indigenous people were empowered to have their vote on a once-in-a-generation referendum.
