Diggers In East Timor Make Their Vote Count

Diggers In East Timor Make Their Vote Count

Brisbane-based soldiers deployed to East Timor were able to cast their votes in the 2010 Australian Federal Election, thanks to a joint initiative between the Australian Defence Force and the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC).

Commander of the International Stabilisation Force (ISF) in East Timor, Colonel Simon Stuart said there were three ways for soldiers and Defence civilians serving overseas to vote.

“The ISF could vote at the Australian embassy in Dili, with a postal vote or attend a Deployed Polling Booth administered by an AEC trained Assistant Returning Officer” he said.

Defence representatives for the AEC collected votes from 16 – 19 August.

Assistant Returning Officer Flight Lieutenant Fiona Summerell said it was her team’s role to ensure all deployed ADF members were given the opportunity to vote in the election, even those on patrol.

“We visited the Headquarters, the Forward Operating Bases and flew out to the soldiers on patrol,’ she said.

“We took the ballot boxes, the Senate papers for each State and the House of Representative papers for each division to them.

“The AEC took us through the training program and supplied us with the equipment and information that we need to facilitate our important task,” added FltLt Summerell.

Private Erik Judd, from Brisbane’s Enoggera Barracks, is deployed as part of the ISF’s Anzac Company reconnaissance patrol on the South Coast of East Timor. He thought the Deployed Polling Booth was an effective way for soldiers to vote while on deployment in remote areas.

“I think it’s great. We are out bush for about ten to twelve days and it’s a great surprise to have polling officials come to us and facilitate our votes. It’s good to see we are still a big part of things (in Australia) even though we are far from home,” he said.

Around 400 Australians are deployed to East Timor on Operation Astute, to help maintain stability and provide a secure environment for the ongoing development of the country

At the conclusion of the voting period, ballot boxes along with postal votes, will be escorted back to Australia and returned to the AEC.

ENDS

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