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Australian Electoral Commission
Protecting the integrity of Australia’s electoral processes is critical to maintaining public trust in Australia's democratic processes.
The Electoral Integrity Assurance Taskforce (the Taskforce) provides electoral integrity assurance to the Australian Electoral Commissioner that federal electoral events are unaffected by interference. Federal electoral events include elections, by-elections and referendums. For the purposes of the Taskforce, interference is characterised as a foreign government or their proxy undertaking an action that is intended to affect or disrupt Australian electoral processes or outcomes.
The Taskforce is responsible for ensuring that federal electoral events are unaffected by interference. This is achieved by:
The Taskforce is not involved in the delivery of electoral events and does not have any role in other elements of electoral integrity such as electoral processes, policies, procedures or administrative or regulatory decisions.
Potential threats to electoral integrity can come in the form of cyber or physical security incidents, misinformation or disinformation campaigns and through perceived or actual interference in electoral processes.
Public trust in the integrity of an electoral event can be undermined by these threats, whether real or perceived. The Taskforce ensures that information about these threats is efficiently referred to the relevant agencies, facilitates cooperation and coordination between these agencies, and enables them to work together to take any appropriate action.
The Electoral Integrity Assurance Taskforce (the Taskforce) and the Taskforce Board (the Board) are constituted by relevant agencies across Federal Government, working together to provide information and advice to the Electoral Commissioner on matters that may compromise the real or perceived integrity of federal electoral events, including referendums.
The following agencies are members of the Taskforce:
In addition to the above Taskforce members, the following agencies are members of the EIAT Board:
The Taskforce functions at an operational level and is overseen by a Board. At the operational level the Taskforce is chaired by the Australian Electoral Commission.
The Taskforce and Board is an ongoing construct and they continue to meet through non-election periods to share relevant information and prepare for upcoming electoral events.
Upon the request of the relevant state or territory electoral commissioner, the Taskforce also provides support to the integrity of state or territory elections.
The Taskforce provides a mechanism for sharing information between relevant agencies on potential threats to electoral integrity such as disinformation campaigns, foreign interference and cyber intrusions. For more information on these potential threats:
The Taskforce is responsible for assessing, understanding and mitigating these risks and, if required, providing advice to the Electoral Commissioner on how they can best be managed.
Each member agency works within their existing remit to provide this service, while maintaining strict political neutrality and impartiality. For a referendum, this political neutrality extends to also being neutral on the issue that is the subject to amend the Constitution.
As part of preparations for federal electoral events, the Taskforce works with online media platforms to ensure strategies are in place to combat the dissemination of mis- and disinformation about the electoral process online, and to address breaches of relevant Commonwealth legislation.
Protecting the integrity of Australia’s electoral processes is critical to maintaining public trust in Australia's democratic processes. In turn, public trust in the legitimacy and integrity of these electoral processes is essential to the effective functioning of our democracy.
In an environment that is constantly changing, with a growing proliferation of threats including disinformation, foreign interference and cyber and physical incidents, the Taskforce exists to protect and preserve Australia’s electoral integrity, strengthening public trust and enhancing the effectiveness of our democratic systems.
Taskforce agencies (and others as required) work together to detect and respond to any malign information activity occurring during electoral periods.
Upon being made aware of a potential threat to the integrity of an electoral event, the Taskforce engages a referral process to ensure that information is passed to the relevant agency to consider appropriate action. Depending on the specifics of the incident, the Taskforce may work with the relevant agency or agencies to coordinate an appropriate response.
Electoral laws require electoral communications to be authorised. The key objective of the authorisation requirements is to allow voters to know who is communicating about an electoral matter.
Each federal electoral event, the AEC runs an advertising campaign branded ‘Stop and Consider’, encouraging voters to check the source of the material they see or hear.
The Foreign Influence Transparency Scheme (the scheme) provides public visibility of the nature and extent of foreign influence on Australia’s political and governmental processes.
Under the scheme, individuals and entities must register certain types of registrable activities that they undertake in Australia on behalf of foreign principals within 14 days of becoming liable to register. Certain information about those activities is then published on the scheme’s Public Register.
Certain activities are registrable if a person undertakes them for the purposes of political or governmental influence. For example, this could include undertaking activities to influence federal elections, referendums, registered political parties, or to influence the public in relation to those matters.
Registrants also have additional reporting obligations during voting periods for federal elections and referendums. These obligations include reviewing registrations, and reporting on registrable activities or disbursements that reach electoral donation thresholds within 7 days.
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.
