The Australian Electoral Commission is getting ready to mobilise people and resources across the country for the massive task of delivering the May 18 federal election.
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Electoral Commissioner Tom Rogers, said the AEC were moving into high gear employing up to 80,000 people for the election of half the Senate (40 seats) and the House of Representatives (151 seats), after Prime Minister Scott Morrison called the election last Thursday.
"More than 16.3 million Australians will exercise their democratic right and responsibility in the coming weeks," Mr Rogers said.
"A federal election is a huge and complex undertaking - the biggest peacetime logistical event held in Australia on a regular basis."
A federal election is the biggest peacetime logistical event held in Australia
- Tom Rogers
The rolls close Thursday April 18 and by then the AEC expects to carry out about 800,000 enrolment transactions.
It will declare a likely 1500 candidates or so after the close of nominations on Tuesday, April 23 and then deliver about 50 million ballot papers across the country.
The AEC said they expected well over a million postal votes and there would be 500 early-voting centres open from April 29 which are increasingly popular.
On election day itself, Saturday May 18, the AEC will open about 7000 polling locations while 560 mobile-polling teams will visit 3000 hospitals, nursing homes, prisons, outstations and remote locations, many across North West Queensland, with election-related material translated into 13 Indigenous and up to 30 other languages.
Mount Isa and North West Queensland is in the division of Kennedy named for explorer Edmund Kennedy.
It is a vast area of almost 220,000 square kilometres stretching from the Pacific Ocean to the NT border and from the Gulf south to Boulia.
The seat has been held by Katter's Australia Party leader Bob Katter since 1993 and he is standing again for the ninth time.
Frank Beveridge is running for the LNP, Brett McGuire is running for the ALP and Sue Bertuch for the United Australia Party.
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Derek Barry
Editor of the North West Star Mount Isa since January 2016. Prior to that, an editor at several regional southern Queensland newspapers. Passionate about telling local stories. Comes with a strange accent to due an Irish accident of birth.
Editor of the North West Star Mount Isa since January 2016. Prior to that, an editor at several regional southern Queensland newspapers. Passionate about telling local stories. Comes with a strange accent to due an Irish accident of birth.
