Ms Liz Carolan:

In terms of resources, if we want a fully functional research function and the ability to commission research on top of that, not just post-electoral surveys but also risk assessments, staying in touch, active communications around voter engagement, etc. that would require a staff of 30 or more and a decent operational budget. It would also potentially require a policy-making function. I fully agree with the points the Senator made on what we need in order to succeed with something which is scalable and adaptable.

I am not a lawyer. I have seen 300 pages of detail, yet I cannot see what success would look like. There is no definition of the outcomes that we would want an electoral commission to deliver. We are trying to get into details before we have a headline document which states what the electoral commission is for, what success will look like, what we want to achieve and the values we to want to implement. We have a lot of detail about appointments and various bits and pieces, but there is zero mention of voter suppression in the entire document.

I do not feel I am able to tell the committee the ten amendments that can fix the 300 page document. Stepping back and asking what success would look like and what institutional structures that could deliver that for us would be helpful. I am happy to continue supporting the committee in any way that I can. I can recommend some international experts who may be able to contribute.

I am delighted to get away from my baby.