Commonwealth Consolidated Acts Commonwealth Consolidated Acts(1) The objects of this Part are to promote free and informed voting at elections by enhancing the following:
(a) the transparency of the electoral system, by allowing voters to know who is communicating electoral matter;
(b) the accountability of those persons participating in public debate relating to electoral matter, by making those persons responsible for their communications;
(c) the traceability of communications of electoral matter, by ensuring that obligations imposed by this Part in relation to those communications can be enforced;
(d) the integrity of the electoral system, by ensuring that only those with a legitimate connection to Australia are able to influence Australian elections.
(2) This Part aims to achieve these objects by doing the following:
(a) requiring the particulars of the person who authorised the communication of electoral matter to be notified if:
(i) the matter is an electoral advertisement, all or part of whose distribution or production is paid for; or
(ii) the matter forms part of a specified printed communication; or
(iii) the matter is communicated by, or on behalf of, a disclosure entity;
(b) ensuring that the particulars are clearly identifiable, irrespective of how the matter is communicated;
(c) restricting the communication of electoral matter authorised by foreign campaigners.
(3) This Part is not intended to detract from:
(a) the ability of Australians to communicate electoral matters to voters; and
(b) voters' ability to communicate with each other on
electoral matters.