Hayne
J
29.
regarding the manner in which the AEO dealt with reserved ballot papers is
permitted, relevant or necessary.
120
121
122
No party submitted that inquiry regarding the manner of dealing with
reserved ballot papers was not permitted and, in terms, s 281(3) provides that if
the validity of an election is disputed the Court may consider any ballot papers
which were reserved for the decision of the Australian Electoral Officer for the
relevant State or Territory. Whether ss 353(1) and 360(1) are additional sources
of power need not be decided.
Question 3(a) should be answered "Yes, s 281(3)".
Having regard, however, to the rejection of the submissions made by
Mr Wang, Mr Mead and others that the Court can determine who should have
been elected by constructing a result from a combination of the records made at
the original and fresh scrutinies about the lost ballot papers with the results of the
re-count of available ballot papers and the results of the scrutiny of those ballot
papers which were not within the re-count, it is neither relevant nor necessary to
the disposition of any of the three petitions to consider the reserved ballot papers.
It is neither relevant nor necessary to undertake that consideration because the
Court must find that Mr Dropulich and Senator Ludlam were not duly elected,
but cannot declare who was duly elected. The only relief appropriate is for the
election to be declared void.
Conclusion and orders
123
For these reasons, the separate questions should be answered in the
manner set out earlier in these reasons.
124
The costs of the trial of separate questions should be reserved. The
petitions should be stood over for argument about any remaining issue (including
what order, if any, should be made for the costs of the trial of separate questions)
on Thursday, 20 February 2014 at 12 noon in Melbourne.