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Australian Electoral Commission
File reference: Reg5217, 13/398
The delegate of the Australian Electoral Commission determined that the Natural Medicine Party should be registered under the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918.
Each application to enter a political party in the Register of Political Parties is assessed against the requirements in Part XI of the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918 (the Act).
On 13 May 2013, the Australian Electoral Commission (the AEC) received an application from the Natural Medicine Party (the Party) to be registered as a non-parliamentary political party under the Act. On 22 May 2013, the AEC issued a notice under s.131 of the Act advising the Party that after initial testing it could not find at least 500 members of the party who were on the electoral roll, as required under section 123(1)(a)(ii) of the Act.
On 28 May 2013, the Party responded to the notice with a revised membership list, but the revised membership list failed to identify sufficient members as being on the electoral roll. Only 489 members were able to be identified as enrolled.
On 5 June 2013, the delegate of the AEC refused the application for registration from the Party.
On 13 June 2013, the AEC received a second application from the Natural Medicine Party (the Party) to be registered as a non-parliamentary political party under the Act. The Party did not propose to register an abbreviation.
The AEC conducted a series of tests usually undertaken as part of the initial consideration of an application. On 21 June 2013, a delegate of the AEC found that the Party's application would need to be refused and issued a notice under s.131 of the Act. The notice advised the Party that four out of 34 people contacted from the Party’s membership list had denied being members of the Party and invited the Party to lodge an amended application with an improved membership list.
On 21 and 24 June 2013, the Party provided an amended application with an updated list of Party members. On 1 July 2013, a delegate found that the Party's application complied with the eligibility requirements of the Act and approved the advertisement of the Party's application for public input. On 3 July 2013, the application was advertised on the AEC website and in 10 newspapers achieving coverage throughout Australia as required by s.132 of the Act.
No objections to the registration of the Party were received by the deadline of 5 August 2013.
The last date by which objections could be received was Monday 5 August 2013.
No objections were received, but writs for the 2013 federal election had been issued that day. The AEC was not permitted, under s.127 of the Act, to take any action in regard to this application for registration until after the return of the writs. The Party was advised on 4 August 2013 about the delay caused by the issue of the writs.
The final writ, for the election of Senators for the State of Western Australia, was returned to the State Governor on 6 November 2013.
On 1 July 2013 the application by the Party was assessed by a delegate of the AEC and no reason was found to refuse it. The application was advertised as required by s.132 of the Act. No objection was made to the registration of the Party.
The delegate of the AEC registered the Party as set out below.
Notice under section 133(1A)(a)
On 7 November 2013, as delegate of the Australian Electoral Commission for the purposes of Part XI of the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918, I entered the following party in the Register of Political Parties.
(signed)
Donella Greer
Delegate of the Australian Electoral Commission
The AEC acknowledges the Traditional Owners of country throughout Australia and recognises their continuing connection to land, waters, culture and community. We pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging.