A key Senate crossbencher says he does not support the federal government's proposed voter identification reforms, and views them as "a solution looking for a problem".
Independent Senator Rex Patrick says the Morrison government is "trying to roll out legislation looking at voter integrity when there is much greater priority in dealing with political integrity".
"This is a solution looking for a problem. My priorities lie elsewhere, especially establishing a federal ICAC with teeth," he told SBS News on Monday, referring to the ongoing push for a national integrity commission.
“The government does not have my support on this.”
If passed, the government’s legislation would require voters to present a form of ID at polling stations, rewriting the current rules asking people to provide their name and address.
The ID could include a driver’s licence, passport, Medicare card, or birth or citizenship certificate. People unable to supply identification could ask another voter to vouch for their identity or cast a declaration vote.
The government says the bill, introduced to parliament last week, is an attempt to crack down on voter fraud in a bid to improve the integrity of the electoral system.
But it has faced criticism from and human rights and social justice advocates, who have described the move as an unnecessary hindrance to democracy that would disenfranchise some voters, including and
Last week, the Federation of Ethnic Communities’ Councils of Australia some people from CALD and refugee backgrounds, particularly women, find it difficult to prove their identity for reasons outside their control.
“Some women just don't have any bills attached to their name or passports, and they may not drive. I think it's a very middle-class and mainstream response to think that we're all able to provide identity documents as easily as each other,” chair Mary Patetsos said.
“We're not understanding the complexity of this. The unintended consequence is a disincentive to vote and a failure to participate in democracy, which then is followed up by fines.”
Indigenous advocates have also spoken out against the proposed reforms. The Northern Land Council they were not consulted before the bill was introduced and have asked for it to be scrapped.
"We think that Aboriginal people in remote communities would be further disenfranchised," acting CEO Joe Martin-Jard told the inquiry.
Shadow Minister for Indigenous Australians Linda Burney has .
"It will have terrible effects for certain populations," the Wiradjuri woman said.
"Many First Nations people actually don't have a birth certificate ... If you don't have a birth certificate, then it's very hard to get other forms of identification."
Prime Minister Scott Morrison defended his government's legislation on Thursday, saying it shouldn't be seen as "earth-shattering".
"People who go to vote should be able to say who they are and prove who they are in a democracy," he said.
Special Minister of State Ben Morton said people would not have to wait longer at the booth as a result of the reforms.
"You have to show ID to pick up a parcel at the post office," he said. "This will allow more integrity in the electoral system to make sure the right people are getting names marked off the roll."
There were just 2,102 cases of multiple marks against votes at the last election from around 15 million voters, according to data from the Australian Electoral Commission. Of those, 24 were investigated by police and there were no prosecutions.
Australian Electoral Commissioner Tom Rogers told the Senate last week voter fraud is a “vanishingly small” issue in the country.
With One Nation in support of the reform, and Labor and the Greens opposed to it, the government will now need a vote from either Senator Jacqui Lambie or Senator Stirling Griff to pass the legislation.
However, the government will face an uphill battle if LNP senator Gerard Rennick holds firm on his commitment to withhold his vote in the Senate entirely until the government meets a list of demands centred around vaccination mandates and travel restrictions.
The potential loss of Senator Rennick's vote means the government would need the support of both Senator Lambie and Senator Griff to pass the legislation.
With additional reporting by AAP.
