Chaney's bill on party postal vote forms lapsed without a vote
Political parties often post out forms for postal votes. The forms come back to the party before they reach the electoral commission. Kate Chaney MP, an independent MP, wanted to stop that. The bill was dropped from Parliament's to-do list in June 2026.
Official name: Commonwealth Electoral Amendment (Protecting Voters) Bill 2025
- Parties and candidates could no longer have sent in postal vote forms for voters.
- Voters' forms would have gone straight to the electoral commission.
- Breaking the rule could have meant a fine set by a court.
- The bill was dropped from the House's to-do list on 23 June 2026 without a vote.
Who it affects
- People who vote by post: Their forms would have gone only to the electoral commission, so parties could not copy their details on the way.
- Registered political parties and candidates: They could no longer have collected and passed on postal vote forms, or signed people up to vote by post every time.
- The Australian Electoral Commission: It would have got postal vote forms straight from voters.
Postal votes rose from 5.1%
Some people cannot get to a voting place on election day. They can ask for a postal vote. You fill in a form, and the electoral commission posts you a ballot paper.
The electoral commission (the Australian Electoral Commission) runs federal elections. It does not take sides.
The form asks for your name, address, phone number and email. It also asks you to set a security question and answer.
Postal voting has grown a lot. The bill's notes say postal votes were 5.1% of all votes in 2004. They reached a high of 14.6% in 2022. In 2025, 13.6% of voters voted by post.
How parties get your details
The bill's notes say many parties and candidates now post voters a pack. It holds a postal vote form, a free reply envelope and campaign flyers.
The envelope has a plain-sounding address such as "Processing Centre". It really goes to the party or candidate. They can write down the voter's details. Then they send the form on to the electoral commission.
The notes say most voters think they are sending the form straight to the commission. Nothing stops the party from contacting them later or selling the data.
The commission has told a group of MPs that these forms confuse voters about who can vote. It said they also worry voters about privacy.
On 16 April 2022 the head of the commission, Tom Rogers, wrote to all registered parties. He warned that some forms used the commission's purple colour. People could mistake them for the commission's own mail.
A group of MPs and senators studies election rules. It is called the Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters. It asked for a fix in its idea number 21. That idea said postal vote forms must go straight to the commission's addresses.
Who brought the bill
This was a private bill, which means the government did not bring it. Kate Chaney MP brought it to the House of Representatives on 3 November 2025.
She says it is a simple fix that fully answers idea number 21.
The new rules
The bill would have added two rules to the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918. That is the main law for federal elections.
The first rule covers postal vote forms. A registered political party could not send a voter's form to the commission for them. Nor could a candidate for the Senate or the House.
The second rule covers people signed up to get a postal vote at every election, without asking each time. A party or candidate could not sign a voter up for this.
Breaking either rule could bring a fine set by a court. The top fine was 100 penalty units. A penalty unit is a set dollar amount used in federal law. In 2025, 100 penalty units came to $33,000. The fine would not mean a criminal record.
Parties could still talk to voters about voting by post. Say a party sends you a letter about it. Under this bill, your filled-in form would go to the commission. It would not go back through the party's office.
Planned start
The new rules would have started the day after the bill became law. That happens when the Governor-General signs it. The Governor-General is the King's stand-in in Australia.
The bill's notes say it would cost nothing.
Dropped after time ran out
Ms Chaney began the debate on the main idea of the bill on 3 November 2025. That was the same day she brought it in.
The House never voted on it. On 23 June 2026 it was dropped from Parliament's to-do list. A House rule clears bills from MPs outside government that sit too long with no action. The bill will not become law in this form.
Its journey through Parliament
| 03 Nov 2025 | House of Representatives: Introduced and read a first time |
| 03 Nov 2025 | House of Representatives: Second reading moved |
| 23 Jun 2026 | House of Representatives: Removed from the Notice Paper in accordance with (SO 42) |