JSCEM's election inquiry must go further to protect fairness, safety and integrity in our democracy

Independent Member for Kooyong, Dr Monique Ryan, has expressed support for the recommendations tabled today by the Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters (JSCEM), but warned that critical issues of fairness, integrity, and public confidence have not been addressed by the committee’s interim report into the 2025 federal election. 

“As a member of the Committee, I support the work undertaken to date and thank the many people who contributed their evidence, often after very challenging experiences during the 2025 election,” Dr Ryan said. 

“However, this interim report does not yet address several key issues within the Inquiry’s scope. These must be properly examined before final recommendations are made.” 

Safety risks at polling places must be addressed: 

Dr Ryan said evidence presented to the inquiry highlighted serious and growing safety risks during election campaigns. 

“Candidates, volunteers, voters and AEC staff experienced harassment, intimidation and threats of violence during the 2025 federal election. We are seeing a clear escalation in personal safety risk, and current arrangements are not adequate to protect people participating in our democratic process.” 

Dr Ryan called for stronger protocols, better resourcing for the Australian Electoral Commission, and clearer coordination with law enforcement. 

“It is only a matter of time before someone is seriously injured at a polling place if we do not act. At the moment, AEC workers are largely powerless to prevent such violence from happening.” 

Greater scrutiny of third-party campaigners:

Dr Ryan also highlighted gaps in oversight of third-party campaign organisations. 

“The involvement of significant third-parties like Advance and the Plymouth Brethren in the 2025 federal election has not yet been properly examined by this inquiry. The nature and extent of these groups’ involvement in the election remains unclear. 

“Other groups which appear to have received significant external funding for campaign activity, such as Repeal the Teal, have not filed returns with the AEC as legally required. This undermines transparency and accountability in our political system. The Committee must ensure all participants in the electoral process are subject to appropriate scrutiny.” 

Stronger response needed to disinformation and community harm:

Dr Ryan said the report’s treatment of electoral interference and misinformation was inadequate.  

“We saw during the election how unsubstantiated allegations targeting Chinese-Australian volunteers caused real harm. 

“Conflating ethnicity with disloyalty damages social cohesion and undermines participation in our politics. We must protect our democracy without discouraging Australians from diverse backgrounds from engaging in it.” 

Dr Ryan called for clearer, more transparent processes to deal with interference and disinformation, as well as urgent action on truth in political advertising laws and regulation of AI-generated content. 

“The rise of deepfakes, automated accounts, and targeted disinformation is happening now. It’s not acceptable to defer meaningful action in this area in favour of another review.” 

Unfair political finance reforms risk entrenching incumbency:

Dr Ryan expressed alarm that the Albanese Government’s electoral donation and expenditure reforms disadvantage independent candidates and smaller parties. 

“The current system risks entrenching incumbents by amplifying existing advantages held by major parties in name recognition, donor networks and party infrastructure. 

“Loopholes in donation caps allow major parties to receive significantly greater election campaign funding through their state branches, while independents remain subject to far tighter limits. At the same time, independents face materially worse tax treatment than party candidates, creating an uneven playing field.”  

Dr Ryan said these reforms should not be treated as settled. 

“Victoria’s comparable 'nominated entity' regime was recently struck down by the High Court. The Committee should not allow its final report to proceed as though these reforms are settled, uncontroversial, or immune from further legal and parliamentary scrutiny.”