The Electoral Matters Committee will hold its first hearing as part of the review into the 2025 Federal Election on 15 October 2025.
The Committee Chair, Jerome Laxale MP said, 'The Committee will be hearing from the Australian Electoral Commission to begin with. I anticipate discussion will focus on aggressive conduct at polling booths and how the AEC can respond, which has been the biggest issue in early submissions. Aggressive conduct is a direct threat to universal voter access.'
'The Committee will also question whether the authorisation of political messages is adequate in the current environment. Proper authorisation is a key safeguard in political communication. An elector should always know who is responsible for the messages they see,' Mr Laxale continued.
The Committee will also hear from other organisations and experts, including the Australia Institute and the Grattan Institute.
'The Committee is expected to hold further hearings in Canberra, as well some interstate hearings before the end of the year,' Mr Laxale said.
Further information on the 2025 Election Inquiry can be found at the Inquiry webpage. Committee details can be found at the Committee's webpage.
Public hearing details
Date: Wednesday, 15 October 2025
Time: 9.00 am to 4.30 pm
Location: Committee Room 2R1, Parliament House, Canberra
9.00 am–10.45 am: Australian Electoral Commission
1.30 pm–2.00 pm: The Hon Bob McMullan
2.00 pm–2.30 pm: Dr Jill Sheppard
2.30 pm–3.00 pm: The Australia Institute
3.30 pm–4.00 pm: Grattan Institute
4.00 pm–4.30 pm: Professor Emerita Anne Twomey
4.30 pm: Adjournment
The hearing will be broadcast live at aph.gov.au/live.
