source : the age
Federal election day on May 3 is creeping closer but many Australian voters have the option to head to the polls early, either via postal vote or at an early voting centre. Here’s where to find them.
Early voting starts today.
It’s Australian law that pre-polling doesn’t begin more than 12 days before election day.
Thousands of early voting centres will be open after Easter, so here’s how and where to cast your vote so you don’t miss out.
The Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) website has a handy guide for those who want to vote before election day.
You are eligible to vote early if you tick any of the following boxes:
- You will be travelling
- Are outside the electorate you are enrolled to vote
- Are located more than eight kilometres from a polling centre
- Are working and can’t leave to vote
- Are seriously ill or in hospital
- Are about to give birth
- Have religious reasons you can’t vote on May 3
- Are in prison
- Are afraid for your safety
- Are a silent elector (meaning your address can’t be included on the electoral role)
On the AEC website, you need to put in your postcode and it will bring up a list of early voting centres near your electorate.
Most voting centres are open between 8.30am and 5.30pm and operate like normal voting booths.
What if I need a postal vote?
Postal voters need to apply before 6pm on April 30. You can do that via this link.
If you are voting this way, you can fill out the pack and send it on as soon as you receive it in the mail. Postal voters are also allowed to vote on May 3.
Telephone voting
Australian voters who are blind or have low vision can vote early using the AEC’s telephone voting service.
This will be in operation from April 22.
You need to fulfil strict eligibility criteria to access this service.
Fun fact: Australians stationed in Antarctica vote this way.
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has been speaking on the Today show, where he indicated the leaders’ debate would proceed tonight as planned.
Here’s his full response to the question whether the campaign would be disrupted by the death of Pope Francis:
I don’t think there’s any need for over-the-top politics today. I think we can respectfully put our positions. Polling obviously opens today. There’s a leadership leaders’ debate tonight. I understand the prime minister is happy to proceed with that. So yeah, I think it’s a respectful day and we can state our policies. But I don’t think it needs to be an over-the-top day.”
In case you missed it at the weekend, Broncos fullback Reece Walsh is set to be out for up to six weeks after suffering a PCL injury in Brisbane’s 20-18 golden point loss to the Warriors on Saturday night.
Walsh, 22, is yet to have a scan but the Broncos confirmed the injury in a statement on Sunday and said he would miss four to six weeks of action.
That length of lay-off would also likely rule him out of Queensland’s side for the State of Origin series opener on May 28.
Walsh injured his right knee in the opening minutes of Saturday night’s clash in Auckland in a collision with opponent Kurt Capewell. He played the entire match but spent some time on the wing, with Selwyn Cobbo reverting to fullback.
That was a window on what coach Michael Maguire may do with Cobbo as he contemplates further changes to the side’s spine.
Five-eighth Ben Hunt made four errors in his worst display of the year and was shifted to hooker in the second half, with Billy Walters switching to No.6.
Just hours after the news of Pope Francis’ death was confirmed by the Vatican, an emotional prime minister addressed the Australian public.
Albanese, who spoke over the Easter weekend of his Catholic faith and upbringing, said the pontiff would be mourned by “Catholics and non-Catholics alike”.
“The first pope from the Southern Hemisphere was close to the people of Australia. For Australian Catholics, he was a devoted champion and loving father,” he said. “My sincere condolences to everyone for [whom] tonight it will be a very difficult evening.”
All flags on Commonwealth buildings will fly at half-mast today.
Federal election day on May 3 is creeping closer but many Australian voters have the option to head to the polls early, either via postal vote or at an early voting centre. Here’s where to find them.
Early voting starts today.
It’s Australian law that pre-polling doesn’t begin more than 12 days before election day.
Thousands of early voting centres will be open after Easter, so here’s how and where to cast your vote so you don’t miss out.
The Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) website has a handy guide for those who want to vote before election day.
You are eligible to vote early if you tick any of the following boxes:
- You will be travelling
- Are outside the electorate you are enrolled to vote
- Are located more than eight kilometres from a polling centre
- Are working and can’t leave to vote
- Are seriously ill or in hospital
- Are about to give birth
- Have religious reasons you can’t vote on May 3
- Are in prison
- Are afraid for your safety
- Are a silent elector (meaning your address can’t be included on the electoral role)
On the AEC website, you need to put in your postcode and it will bring up a list of early voting centres near your electorate.
Most voting centres are open between 8.30am and 5.30pm and operate like normal voting booths.
What if I need a postal vote?
Postal voters need to apply before 6pm on April 30. You can do that via this link.
If you are voting this way, you can fill out the pack and send it on as soon as you receive it in the mail. Postal voters are also allowed to vote on May 3.
Telephone voting
Australian voters who are blind or have low vision can vote early using the AEC’s telephone voting service.
This will be in operation from April 22.
You need to fulfil strict eligibility criteria to access this service.
Fun fact: Australians stationed in Antarctica vote this way.
Enjoy the next couple of warm, sunny days as later in the week looks to bring cloudy weather with a higher chance of rain.
The daily maximum temperatures are expected to take a much cooler turn by Thursday, but are predicted to climb again by the weekend.
But before then, today is forecast to be a mostly sunny day with a top of 28 degrees.
Here’s the outlook for the rest of the week.
Here’s what’s making news further afield this morning:
The faithful participate in a rosary prayer for the late Pope Francis, in St Peter’s Square at the Vatican.Credit: AP
- Follow our live coverage as world leaders react to the death of the Pope, the Vatican reveals his cause of death, and what is set to happen next.
And in other news:
Gout Gout and Lachlan Kennedy in the back markers’ race after missing the Stawell Gift final.Credit: Getty Images
Good morning, and welcome back to Brisbane Times’ live news coverage for Tuesday, April 22. Today the city can expect a sunny day and a top temperature of 28 degrees.
In this morning’s local headlines:
A woman has died, a man has been shot and an alleged gunman has been arrested following two carjackings and a spate of crashes on the Sunshine Coast yesterday afternoon.
The wreckage of a stolen SsangYong Rexton at Landsborough, on the Sunshine Coast, on Monday. Police allege the man originally driving the Rexton was shot during a carjacking.Credit: DM Mechanical
The state LNP government is reviewing 11 south-east Queensland projects under the party’s pledge to restore power to councils.
Further experts have been called in to assess the risk of an explosion at the XXXX brewery in Brisbane as part of a lengthy legal challenge with XXXX site’s neighbour, the Anglican Church.
And in a new Resolve Political Monitor poll, Queenslanders have given Premier David Crisafulli their tick of approval, with numbers showing he has a commanding lead over opponent and predecessor Steven Miles five months into the LNP’s four-year term.
