16 Jan 2013

Scores of alleged electoral law breaches unresolved

4:00 pm on 16 January 2013

Police are still investigating 89 alleged breaches of electoral law relating to the 2011 general election, new information has revealed.

Police say there were 62 complaints of individuals voting twice, while nine candidates did not file their returns by the due date of 30 April last year.

They have completed only two of the 94 cases the Electoral Commission referred to them following the election. No prosecutions were made from those investigations.

Three cases involving the Broadcasting Act were left incomplete because they went past the prosecution time limit.

The remaining 89 investigations are all breaches of the Electoral Act - including the 62 double voting cases and nine returns not filed.

Eighteen other cases are still outstanding, with no decision on prosecution yet made.

Police say all outstanding investigations should be resolved before the prosecution time limit - which according to the Electoral Act is no later than three years after the incident - meaning November 2014.