Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Katie Woolf spoke with Electoral Commissioner Iain Loganathan

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Katie Woolf spoke with Electoral Commissioner Iain Loganathan · 360 with Katie Woolf

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  Speaker 1: Well, it's all happening around the territory at the moment
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  Speaker 1: and as we know on Friday, well we were in
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  Speaker 1: the situation where the declaration of candidates for the upcoming
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  Speaker 1: council elections happened. And joining me in the studio to
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  Speaker 1: talk further about that is the Northern Territory Selectoral Commissioner
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  Speaker 1: Ian Logan Ethan. Good morning to you.
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  Speaker 2: Good morning Katie.
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  Speaker 1: Busy Friday for you, no doubt, and busy into the weekend.
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  Speaker 2: I look, it was a busy Friday, as you said,
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  Speaker 2: we did the declaration for all the top end candidates
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  Speaker 2: in Darwin and for the four councils in Central Australia.
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  Speaker 2: They were done in Alice Springs. So in total we've
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  Speaker 2: had three hundred and three candidates for one hundred and
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  Speaker 2: fifty nine vacancies.
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  Speaker 1: How does that compare to other years?
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  Speaker 2: So in twenty seventeen we had three hundred and twenty
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  Speaker 2: candidates and there was one hundred and fifty seven vacancies,
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  Speaker 2: So it's certainly like on par I think some of
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  Speaker 2: the big differences, particularly in Darwin and in Palmerston, we
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  Speaker 2: had much bigger fields, particularly for the mayoral position in
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  Speaker 2: both those wards.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, honestly, one year there it was like a horse race.
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  Speaker 1: There were so many people who'd put their hands up
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  Speaker 1: for the mayoral job.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah. Look, you know it was pretty close to a
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  Speaker 2: Melbourne cup field in twenty seventeen. But this year there's
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  Speaker 2: six candidates for the mayor in Darwin and three candidates
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  Speaker 2: in Parmestan.
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  Speaker 1: Okay, and how about that many put their hand up
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  Speaker 1: in the likes of Litchfield and Catherine for the mayoral position.
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  Speaker 2: Look, I don't have the data for Catain, but I
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  Speaker 2: can say for Litchfield there were seven candidates for the
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  Speaker 2: mayoral position, and in.
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  Speaker 1: The likes of Darwin there is quite a few wards
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  Speaker 1: as well, isn't there Did we have quite a few
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  Speaker 1: candidates and put their hands up for those wards?
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  Speaker 2: Look we did. They were noticeably a bit lower than
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  Speaker 2: twenty seventeen, particularly Sane Lyon's ward. That was quite a
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  Speaker 2: large number of candidates in twenty seventeen. This year in
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  Speaker 2: Lions there's eight candidates for three positions. In Chan there's
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  Speaker 2: five candidates for three positions, Richardson six candidates for three positions,
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  Speaker 2: and in Waters six candidates for three positions. You're noted
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  Speaker 2: in the media that you know, a number of candidates
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  Speaker 2: aren't standing again. Sorry, a number of councilors aren't standing again,
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  Speaker 2: so that may have had an impact.
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  Speaker 1: Okay, I was going to say, what do you reckon
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  Speaker 1: has caused the impact in terms of some of those
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  Speaker 1: numbers being a bit lower? Do you have any idea?
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  Speaker 2: Look, I don't particularly know. Obviously, nominations, it's up to
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  Speaker 2: the individuals. We certainly advertised nominations and people certainly got
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  Speaker 2: in quick. But really, you know, that's just a matter
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  Speaker 2: for people who decide, you know, whether they want to
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  Speaker 2: put up their hand to run for council.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, hey, what's the process now? We know that the
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  Speaker 1: election's obviously happening on August twenty eight, but what is
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  Speaker 1: that process now?
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  Speaker 2: So the process now is that we've printed the ballot
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  Speaker 2: papers and on the weekend we had a staff putting
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  Speaker 2: the ballot papers, organizing all the postal votes. So we've
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  Speaker 2: had clos to six thousand postal votes already and they've
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  Speaker 2: been dropped off with Australia Post because we want them
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  Speaker 2: to get to electors as quickly as possible. Really, this week,
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  Speaker 2: there's a lot of logistics that's happening, particularly out in
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  Speaker 2: the remote communities. But the big thing for the people
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  Speaker 2: of Darwin, Palmerston and Lichfield is that early voting starts
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  Speaker 2: on the sixteenth of August.
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  Speaker 1: So there'll be those early voting centers from the sixteenth
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  Speaker 1: of August.
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  Speaker 2: Is that right, that's correct. They'll be at cash in
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  Speaker 2: a library, Darwen Entertainment Center, call a Linger shopping Center,
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  Speaker 2: Gateway Shopping Center and Palmerston Shopping Center.
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  Speaker 1: I reckon, that's a really good idea in terms of
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  Speaker 1: making it a bit easier for people. There's lots of people,
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  Speaker 1: as we know, who work on Saturdays, you know, the
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  Speaker 1: day that the election is held. So in terms of
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  Speaker 1: that ease of being able to vote, I think it's
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  Speaker 1: a good thing.
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  Speaker 2: Look, it absolutely is a good thing. Look what we
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  Speaker 2: know is that we need to make voting more convenient
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  Speaker 2: and more people will vote, you know. And I also
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  Speaker 2: I should say a shout out to the councils in
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  Speaker 2: terms of the administration of the councils, because they've a
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  Speaker 2: to because they're paying for the selection and they've agreed to,
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  Speaker 2: you know, have a significant number of early voting centers
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  Speaker 2: so that people can participate and do you.
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  Speaker 1: Reckon, We're ever going to get to the point where
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  Speaker 1: people can vote online.
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  Speaker 2: Look in time, Okatie, let's see how the census goes tomorrow.
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  Speaker 2: I think that that'll probably be a good indicator in
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  Speaker 2: terms of, you know, when we move to online services.
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  Speaker 2: Like I've sort of said to you that there's certainly
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  Speaker 2: an issue in regard to security and cybersecurity that really
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  Speaker 2: needs to be addressed. But I think it'll be small steps.
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  Speaker 2: I think you'll see, like let's say in the NT
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  Speaker 2: government soon they'll be going to a enterprise agreement ballot
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  Speaker 2: and that's all done online. So I think it's these
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  Speaker 2: small steps. You know, that'll be eleven twelve thousand people.
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  Speaker 2: So once people get comfortable with it, I think, and
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  Speaker 2: people sort of agree with or people accept that the
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  Speaker 2: security issues are being addressed, then that will happen. You know,
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  Speaker 2: one great thing about Australia, and you know, particularly about
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  Speaker 2: in the territory, is that when we have elections, we
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  Speaker 2: don't have riots afterwards because people trust the Electoral Commission
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  Speaker 2: and they know the process. It's all open and transparent.
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  Speaker 2: Every ballot that's counted is done in front of scrutinys
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  Speaker 2: and that's a very important part of our democracy.
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  Speaker 1: And one of the questions that we always get asked
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  Speaker 1: is are we going to be fined if we don't
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  Speaker 1: turn up to vote.
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  Speaker 2: We run these elections for the councils and they make
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  Speaker 2: the determination whether they want to pursue non voters. So
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  Speaker 2: if they choose to, then we certainly will pursue that
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  Speaker 2: on their behalf.
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  Speaker 1: Now, what are the rules for the signs? Can people
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  Speaker 1: sort of have signs anywhere? Or what's the go I
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  Speaker 1: guess in the lead in and then when it comes
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  Speaker 1: to those voting centers opening.
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  Speaker 2: Look in relation to where signs can be. There are
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  Speaker 2: policies we have DIPPLE, they have their policies in relation
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  Speaker 2: to where it can be, on roads, power and war authority,
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  Speaker 2: they have their policies as well, and each council has
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  Speaker 2: their own policies. So all that's available on our website
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  Speaker 2: and we have sent that to all candidates and ensuring
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  Speaker 2: that asking them to make sure that they comply with
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  Speaker 2: these policies. In terms of the signage, it has to
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  Speaker 2: be authorized and if it's printed, you need to state
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  Speaker 2: who's printed. The documents. In regard to early voting that
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  Speaker 2: starts on the sixteenth of August, there'll be no campaigning
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  Speaker 2: at early voting centers. What we will have is we
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  Speaker 2: will have a pamphlet folder at each of those early
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  Speaker 2: voting centers with a how to vote material will be available,
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  Speaker 2: so electors have the option to pick up the how
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  Speaker 2: to vote material if they want to.
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  Speaker 1: Ian Logan, Nathan, it's always good to catch up with
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  Speaker 1: you the Electoral commissioner here in the Northern Territory. Thank
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  Speaker 1: you so much for coming in and having a chat
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  Speaker 1: with us today. Thank you Katie, and we will take
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  Speaker 1: you through some of those candidates as well throughout the morning,
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  Speaker 1: so stick around, there's lots coming your way today.