Hayne
J
20.
83
Third, the preferred construction of the provision is consistent with its
legislative history and what was, at the time of its enactment, its established
meaning.
84
The provisions which now appear as s 365 of the Act were brought into
their present form by amendments made by s 25 of the Commonwealth Electoral
Act 1922 (Cth). Section 26 of the 1922 Act inserted what is now s 367,
precluding admission of evidence of a witness that he or she was not permitted to
vote unless the witness satisfies the Court (in effect) that he or she had claimed to
vote and had complied with the requirements of the Act and the regulations
relating to voting as far as permitted to do so.
85
These amendments to the Act were made after (and in consequence of) the
decision of Isaacs J in Kean v Kerby 52. In that case, Isaacs J had admitted
evidence from electors who through official error had not been permitted to
submit a ballot paper that each had intended to vote for a particular candidate.
But Isaacs J had admitted this evidence because the Act then provided 53 that no
election should be avoided on account of the error of any officer "which shall not
be proved to have affected the result of the election". Isaacs J observed 54 that in
this respect the Act (as it then stood) differed from equivalent English electoral
legislation which had been held 55 to provide, in effect, that an election could be
declared invalid if official error may have affected the result. Isaacs J
concluded 56 that, in order to prove that official error had affected the result,
"[t]he error of refusing a vote to a qualified elector, if it is to have any weight at
all, must be accompanied with proof as to how the elector intended to vote".
86
The 1922 Act amended the Act in the respects which have been described
for the stated purpose 57 of bringing the law into line with English law. The
52
(1920) 27 CLR 449.
53
s 194 of the Act as it then stood. Section 194, as amended, was later renumbered
s 365.
54
(1920) 27 CLR 449 at 458.
55
Woodward v Sarsons (1875) LR 10 CP 733 at 751; Eastern Division of Clare Case
(1892) 4 O'M & H 162; cf Hackney Case (1874) 2 O'M & H 77. See also Rogers
on Elections, 19th ed (1918), vol 2 at 68-69.
56
(1920) 27 CLR 449 at 458.
57
Australia, Senate, Parliamentary Debates (Hansard), 26 July 1922 at 752;
Australia, House of Representatives, Parliamentary Debates (Hansard),
14 September 1922 at 2268-2269, 20 September 1922 at 2467.