Role of the AEC

The AEC is an independent statutory authority responsible for delivering impartial and independent electoral services to the Australian community, as set out in the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918 (the Electoral Act) and other relevant legislation.

The AEC’s services include:

• managing the electoral roll
• conducting federal elections, by-elections and referendums
• providing information and education on electoral matters
• conducting industrial elections and ballots
• administering the political funding and disclosure aspects of the Electoral Act.

More information about the services provided by the AEC can be found in our Corporate Plan.

The AEC is not responsible for the conduct of state and territory or local government elections. Each state and territory has its own electoral management body responsible for the conduct of elections under state and territory legislation.

Our service

To deliver our electoral services, the AEC and its staff uphold the AEC values of electoral integrity through quality, agility and professionalism.

The AEC and its staff are also committed to the Australian Public Service (APS) values of being impartial, committed to service, accountable, respectful and ethical.

Services

You can expect AEC services to be:

• fair, impartial and apolitical
• open, transparent and accountable
• timely, accurate and effective
• convenient and accessible
• in accordance with the laws which guide the functions of the AEC.

Staff

You can expect AEC staff to be:

• courteous and professional
• respectful of all people, their differences, rights and any special needs
• competent, knowledgeable and skilled
• ethical, honest, fair and apolitical
• respectful of AEC and APS values and the law.

Communication

You can expect communication with the AEC to be:

• accessible via a range of user-friendly channels, technologies, formats and languages
• responsive and timely
• accurate, comprehensive and easy to understand
• in accordance with our privacy policy.

How you can help us

You can help the AEC deliver our services by understanding and meeting your responsibilities under the law.

If you are an Australian citizen, aged 18 years or over, you are required to:

• enrol at your current residential address, once you have resided there for one month
• update your enrolment if you change your address or change your name
• vote in federal elections and referendums.

If you are an Australian citizen aged 16 or 17 you are encouraged to enrol so you are ready to vote when you turn 18.

You can also help the AEC by:

• providing us with accurate and timely information
• letting us know if you need assistance to use our services
• treating our staff with courtesy and respect
• providing constructive feedback on our services, especially where you believe we have not met our service standards.

How we assess our service

The AEC will monitor, measure and report on our performance in delivering our services, and how we measure our performance is outlined in our Corporate Plan.

You can expect the AEC to hold itself accountable and to:

• consider all compliments, complaints and feedback received
• treat complaints seriously and promptly in line with the AEC’s complaints management policy
• use available information and data to identify ways to improve our performance
• report on our performance publicly in the AEC annual report.

Your feedback

The AEC welcomes your feedback and there are a variety of ways, including extra assistance available, in which you can contact us to comment on our service.