Strategic review of the Electoral Commission of Queensland
This is the first strategic review of the Electoral Commission of Queensland (Commission), as required by section 33A of the Electoral Act 1992 (Act).
Professor Nicholas Aroney (Reviewer) has been appointed by the Queensland Government to independently review the Electoral Commission of Queensland under approved terms of reference.
Public consultation is sought to inform the review of the Electoral Commission of Queensland’s functions and an assessment of whether the performance of the functions is being performed economically, effectively and efficiently.
Following the review, a report will be tabled in Parliament showing the reviewer’s findings.
Electoral Commission of Queensland
The Commission is an independent statutory authority responsible for the impartial conduct of elections in Queensland.
The Commission’s key functions include:
- conducting state, local and industrial elections and referendums
- regulating and promoting compliance with electoral funding and disclosure requirements.
The ECQ performs functions under its enabling legislation, the Electoral Act 1992, as well as the Local Government Electoral Act 2011, Referendums Act 1997, Local Government Act 2009, City of Brisbane Act 2010 and Industrial Relations Act 2016.
The reviewer
Nicholas Aroney is Professor of Constitutional Law at The University of Queensland, Director of the Centre for Public, International and Comparative Law and a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Law and the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia.
Professor Aroney has published more than 160 journal articles, book chapters and books in the fields of constitutional law, comparative constitutional law and legal theory.
Consultation paper
The Consultation Paper provides an overview of the matters the reviewer will be considering during the review and contains a copy of the terms of reference.
The Consultation Paper addresses some key themes and questions relevant to the strategic review, which you may find helpful in preparing a submission.
At a broad level, relevant to the Terms of Reference, written submissions should be directed at:
- What the Commission is doing well and where the Commission could improve its performance of its legislated functions
- Evidence-based suggestions on how the Commission could be more effective (in performing its functions), more efficient (doing more with less) or more economical (achieving the best value for money).
In addition to specific matters listed in the consultation paper, the reviewer broadly invites comment on whether the functions are being performed economically, effectively and efficiently.
The review invites your submissions and comments in response to this consultation paper and the terms of reference. Submissions do not need to address all themes or specific questions identified in this Consultation Paper or the Terms of Reference.
Have your say
You may make a submission by:
- Emailing a copy to the Secretariat: ecq.strategic.review@justice.qld.gov.au
- Posting a hardcopy copy to:
Secretariat Support
Strategic Review of the Electoral Commission of Queensland
C/- Office of the Deputy Director-General, Corporate Services
GPO Box 149
BRISBANE QLD 4001
Submissions are to be received on or by Monday, 25 May 2026.
The strategic review will not be publishing submissions, but it may refer to them in the report (including a list of all received submissions from the submitters).
Subject to legal requirements, every effort will be made to respect confidentiality requests. However, stakeholders should be aware that the reviewer operates under the same access and disclosure obligations as an authorised auditor under the Auditor-General Act 2009.
Matters not relevant to this Strategic Review
The strategic review will be conducted in accordance with the authorising legislation (sections 33A-33D of the Act) and the Terms of Reference attached in the Consultation Paper.
Specific matters that are not addressed as part of this review:
- As a strategic review, it is not the purpose of this review to examine how the Commission handled an individual complaint or grievance.
- The Terms of Reference do not extend to redistributions of electoral boundaries and other particular functions of the Queensland Redistribution Commission (QRC) and the Local Government Change Commission (LGCC). Rather, the Review is required to assess the efficiency and effectiveness of the secretariat support provided by the Commission to the QRC and LGCC when they perform their particular functions.
You may want to participate in the consultation process for the QRC’s current electoral boundary reviews in Queensland.