Commonwealth Numbered Acts

Commonwealth Electoral Legislation Amendment Act 1983 No. 144 of 1983 - SECT 11

11. (1) Section 27 of the Principal Act is amended-

   (a)  by omitting sub-section (1) and substituting the following
        sub-section:

''(1) The Electoral Commission may, by notice published in the Gazette -

   (a)  appoint, by name, such polling places for each Division as it
        considers necessary;

   (b)  declare polling places appointed under paragraph (a) in respect of a
        Division to be polling places for a specified Subdivision of that
        Division; and

   (c)  abolish any polling place.'';

   (b)  by omitting from sub-section (2) ''shall be abolished after the issue
        of the writ'' and substituting ''for a Division shall be abolished
        after the issue of a writ relating, in whole or in part, to the taking
        of a poll in that Division''; and

   (c)  by adding at the end thereof the following sub-section:

''(3) The Electoral Commission shall, on at least one occasion after the issue
of a writ relating, in whole or in part, to the taking of a poll in a Division
but before the date fixed for the polling, if it is practicable to do so,
publish in a newspaper circulating in that Division a notice-

   (a)  setting out all polling places in that Division; and

   (b)  setting out all places that were, at the time of the last election for
        which a poll was taken in that Division, polling places for that
        Division but that have been abolished since that time.''.

(2) An appointment of a place as a polling place for a Division in force
immediately before the date of commencement of this section under sub-section
27 (1) of the Principal Act has effect, on and after that date, as if it were
an appointment under sub-section 27 (1) of the Principal Act as amended by
this Act.

(3) A declaration of a polling place as a polling place for a Subdivision in
force immediately before the date of commencement of this section under
sub-section 27 (1) of the Principal Act has effect, on and after that date, as
if it were a declaration under sub-section 27 (1) of the Principal Act as
amended by this Act.

(4) An appointment of a place as a polling place for a Division of the
Australian Capital Territory in force immediately before the date of
commencement of this section under regulations made under the Australian
Capital Territory Representation (House of Representatives) Act 1973 has
effect, on and after that date, as if it were an appointment of that place as
a polling place for that Division of the Australian Capital Territory under
sub-section 27 (1) of the Principal Act as amended by this Act.

(5) An appointment of a place as a polling place in force immediately before
the date of commencement of this section under regulations made under the
Northern Territory Representation Act 1922 has effect, on and after that date,
as if it were an appointment of that place as a polling place for the Northern
Territory under sub-section 27 (1) of the Principal Act as amended by this
Act.

(6) A declaration of a polling place as a polling place for a District of the
Northern Territory in force immediately before the date of commencement of
this section under regulations made under the Northern Territory
Representation Act 1922 has effect, on and after that date, as if it were a
declaration of that place as a polling place for that District of the Northern
Territory under sub-section 27 (1) of the Principal Act as so amended.