The Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) has been urged to rethink plans that could shut or merge about one third of its divisional offices, with a union warning the loss of local expertise could disrupt future elections.
Tue 29 Sep 2026 12.39 AEST
Photo: AAP Image/Bianca De Marchi
We now often struggle to understand why the far-right is advancing fast – in Australia with One Nation, in Germany with the AfD, in the US with Trump, in Brazil with Bolsonaro and his likes - but if we think about it, neoliberalism has always had an authoritarian face, often masked by the embrace of diversity or cultural “progressiveness”.
Pauline Hanson is back at it again, riding a wave of popularity and talking of an Australia whose “western values” are “under siege”. Her words are a vivid dramatisation of an anxiety deeply ingrained in the Australian psyche – and a large part of our literary history.
The Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) has been urged to rethink plans that could shut or merge about one third of its divisional offices, with a union warning the loss of local expertise could disrupt future elections.
Of the AEC’s 56 divisional offices, about 20 have been flagged for possible closures or consolidation.
The commission has proposed closing its branches in Albury and Wagga Wagga in NSW, and Wangaratta and Shepparton in Victoria, and moving them to a border super hub at Wodonga.
“Closing the Wangaratta AEC office and moving it to Wodonga not only undermines a healthy democracy, but it also puts regional jobs and secure work in the community at risk,” said Sam McCrone, team lead at the Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU).
State Member for Northern Victoria Wendy Lovell also criticised the decision, telling Shepparton News: “It matters particularly in a community like Shepparton with many new citizens and longtime voters who benefit from AEC assistance with understanding their rights and responsibilities.”
However, the AEC said the way voters access its services has changed and in the case of the Albury and Wagga Wagga offices, “there was an average of 1 visitor per week to these offices between the months of March to May 2026”.
A spokesperson said the closures and merger reflect a “shift in how our services are accessed, with an increasing proportion of clients choosing to engage virtually through the AEC website, over the phone or via post, minimising the viability of our extensive property footprint.”
The commission has also proposed closing offices in Armidale, Grafton, Kempsey, Taree and moving them to another larger hub in Coffs Harbour.
The CPSU said that in this year alone, 11 electoral offices had shut or were slated for closure, which would bring the total number lost over the past 6 years to 43.
“These closures don’t just cut jobs; they strip regional communities of secure employment, local expertise and the public services that help keep them connected, represented and engaged in the democratic process,” said Rebecca Fawcett, CPSU National Secretary.
Ms Fawcett said the loss of highly skilled public sector workers would create new barriers for vulnerable electors, independent candidates and their communities.
“AEC employees bring deep, long-term local knowledge — not just of electorate boundaries and geography, but of the democratic process and the history of candidates and Members of Parliament,” she said.
“That expertise is built over years in the community and is critical to ensuring Australians can access accurate, trusted electoral information.”
In Queensland, offices in Bundaberg, Dalby, Ipswich and Mackay are slated for closure while South Australia stands to lose Murray Bridge.
Ms Fawcett argued the closures go against the Albanese government’s 2026-27 Regional Ministerial Budget Statement, which stated: “Investing in people is an investment in the future of regional communities and the nation’s long-term prosperity”.
The union is calling on the federal government to reconsider the closures.
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Bill Browne, director of the Australia Institute’s Democracy & Accountability Program, said the 2025 WA election offered a cautionary tale.
The WA Electoral Commission faced heavy criticism after ballot paper and staff shortages disrupted polling booths on the day.
The ABC reported that one long-time regional polling officer described it as her “messiest” election experience in a decade.
An independent inquiry found the problems largely stemmed from the state’s decision not to fully fund the commission’s request for election staffing.
Electoral Commissioner Robert Kennedy took unplanned leave before the election count was complete.
He remained on leave until announcing his resignation in December 2025, almost nine months after polling day.
“In Australia, voting is a duty as well as a right, but in exchange, Australians expect voting to be painless, efficient and professionally run,” said Mr Browne.
“Cutting regional Election Commission jobs would be a false economy if it causes the kinds of delays, confusion and distress that we have seen in recent state elections.”
Meanwhile, South Australia’s Electoral Commissioner Mick Sherry also went on leave after the state’s “shambolic” election in March 2026.
It saw the commission fail to pay thousands of poll workers and hundreds of uncounted ballot papers discovered later.
Mr Sherry resigned two months later.
“Democracy means that everyone is represented, and that includes full access to election services as well as choosing your local member on election day,” said Mr Browne.
However, the AEC spokesperson told The Point that voting services at the next federal election, due by May of 2028, will be planned according to the needs of each electorate.
“We expect voting locations in all electorates to be similar to what voters have seen at previous elections,” they said.
“Regardless of the office location, all 150 federal electorates will have their own Divisional Returning Officers, responsible for the delivery of future elections within each electorate.”
