Remember, the ‘helpful’ mail from your local political party to arrange a postal vote is in-fact a form of data harvesting so you end up on their mailing list. The fact they can use the electoral role to access your address is bad enough, filling out the form then provides your email, phone number and DOB; all without reference to a cyber-security plan with assurance that your personal information is safe.
If you want a postal vote, access the online request directly from the AEC.
Timely advice. Thanks.
So, how are they able to get away with doing this? I got such forms from Liberal and ALP last week and will duly put them at the bottom of the ballot.
It is not true. All political parties have access to the electoral rolls. So they already have your details. They don’t need to ‘create a mailing list’. They already have a comprehensive one… the electoral roll.
You need to read the original post. The political party can get data about you that is not in the electoral roll. Like email address. Phone number.
And, critically, answers to “Security Questions and Answers” which I suspect people would use multiple times. Who in their right mind would trust the LNP or ALP with this information?
Are there any parties or candidates that you would trust with this information?
No!
As all political party material arriving in my mailbox goes straight into the bin unread, what are these questions you mention they are wanting you to respond to?
To avoid perceived partisanship (that is not on in the open forum) no names or parties mentioned.
The first local candidate off the blocks sent out the AEC postal vote application with the candidate’s address on the pre-addressed return envelope, not to the AEC and not a second envelope with the AEC address.
I usually open them since I need a laugh now and then, and mine goes straight to the recycling or shredder. It was obvious they would harvest all the personal contact information for their database of likely supporters and for future solicitations if only because it would have been insecure information made available to the candidate’s office.
Odds are on I will receive at least one and probably two more similarly packaged ‘helpful’ applications.
Both I received helpfully included the Reply paid address of the AEC on the brochures, the envelope of course had the address of the party’s collection process. One was not so clear on the envelope that it wasn’t the official AEC organisation’s return address (it sort of looks official but it isn’t), the other was quite clear it wasn’t the AEC.
The brochure from the liberal national party looks more like an official brochure with only in the small print mentioning it is LNP material
and the Labor effort (can you spot the differences 
)
Snap!
The fine print on the bottom of the form, on the reverse of the brochure is worth careful consideration.
Similar observation re the reply paid envelope. Who/what is the Fisher PVA Centre, Nambour?
For those wondering about what information the insecure application requests,
The PVA address is the LNP Postal Vote Application organisation’s address in Qld. They note the electorate to gather further information about who is seeking postal votes in an area.
Eg Blair for my electorate, Fisher for your’s and so on.
The warning issued by the Qld Electoral Commission about PVA material
Perhaps PVA are worthy of a Shonky
Hence the postal vote application is as others have noted being returned directly to the local candidates organisation!
There is zero privacy commitment on the supplied form, either side, or covering letter relevant to the handling of the application from the QLD LNP. The AEC’s privacy statement is included. It’s exceptionally misleading by omission of a similar undertaking/commitment by the party involved. Assume the ALP and others may act in a similar manner. Will wait and see as our other candidates may be low budget as usual, such is the margin of the local member.
The wise one has suggested returning the forms blank in the reply paid envelope, to ensure the full budget for the mail out is met. All prospective candidates should take note, AP will be thrilled at the extra work load.
A further point of concern is that one may not meet the closing date for postal vote applications if reliant on it being processed through an intermediary?
Your ‘wise’ one has inspired me. I shall send off all the reply paid envelopes with any old crap in them. 
‘Any old crap’ could include the how to vote fliers from one of their opponents. 
Was thinking the same thing just the other day.Certainly a very sensible way of dealing with it
One has to wonder why there is no law preventing this almost-fraudulent behaviour. Oh, wait… it may be slimy but our political ‘servants’ are involved so must be permitted.
I absolutely encourage returning the envelopes. Mine simply contain the blank forms.
In fact, perhaps this is something for @BrendanMays and CHOICE to bring to wider Community and community attention.
The electoral role provides only the most basic personal details. The postal vote application provides a number of additional personal details beyond that what is in the roll.
The actual form is covered by the AEC’s privacy policy and if you send that form in your own envelope to the AEC reply paid address, which MUST be provided on the form somewhere, then everything is fine.
The trap is that forms provided by political parties also come with an reply paid envelope that returns the form (usually) to your local MP who can then view it before sending it to the AEC… and there is no privacy policy covering that non-AEC exposure of the form.
A lot may be said about “integrity” during this election campaign but surely taking political parties out of the loop for postal votes would be a simple change and one that would strengthen the voting system?
Would such a change even have any downsides for the voting system?
