April 8, 2025 • 27 mins
Sam speaks with Alex Morris from the Australian Electoral Commission, here to tell us about a range of accessibility measures available to voters who are blind or have low vision casting their votes at the Australian federal election on May 3.
We also feature some news and information, and Frances joins the show for a Reader Recommended.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
S1 (00:13):
From Vision Australia. This is talking vision. And now here's
your host Sam Colley.
S2 (00:23):
Hello, everyone. It's great to be here with you. And
for the next half hour we talk matters of blindness
and low vision. Welcome to the program. This week we
chat with Alex Morris from the Australian Electoral Commission, who's
here to chat to me about the ways that the
Commission is making voting accessible, safe and private for voters
(00:47):
who are blind or have low vision and others with
disabilities more broadly. That conversation's coming up very shortly, so
make sure to stick around to find out more. Then
after we hear from Alex, we've got some news and
information to share. Before we finish up with a reader
(01:08):
recommended from Francis Kelland, I hope you'll enjoy this week's
episode of Talking Vision. With the Australian federal election coming
up in just under a month's time. The safety, accessibility
and privacy of the votes of the blind and low
(01:31):
vision community is, of course, paramount to not only the
Australian Electoral Commission, but also blindness and low vision organisations
around Australia. So with that in mind, it's my great
pleasure to welcome today Alex Morris from the Australian Electoral
(01:52):
Commission to talk to us about the accessibility measures in
place for voters with disabilities. Alex, welcome to Talking Vision.
Thank you very much for your time today.
S3 (02:06):
Thank you for having me, Sam. It's a pleasure.
S2 (02:08):
Now, firstly, Alex, I think let's get to the heart
of the matter. As people may or no doubt be aware,
the election is coming up in a few weeks. And
for our listeners who are blind or have low vision,
they might have a little bit of anxiety or, you know,
trepidation about, oh, how is my how am I going
(02:30):
to get an accessible vote? You know, what sort of
measures are in place for me? So just to put
their minds at rest, so to speak, what sort of
accessibility measures can the AEC promise for voters who are
blind or have low vision.
S3 (02:46):
Of course. And first of all, I completely understand where
those listeners would be coming from. It's, uh, it's something
that we've worked really, really hard at, uh, at the
AEC for quite some time now, and I'm really hopeful
that this is going to be, uh, good news for
a lot of your listeners. So first and foremost, we
do have a telephone voting option available for voters who
(03:09):
are blind or have low vision. It's the same telephone
voting option that was previously made available at the last
federal election for voters who had tested positive for Covid
as well. But thankfully, the Covid conditions have changed somewhat
and we're no longer in a position of needing to
do that, which means the service is now just for
blind and low vision voters, as well as people in
(03:30):
in Antarctica, those brave explorers down there now. It's a
service that hasn't started yet at the time of recording,
but will be opening for registration on Tuesday the 22nd
of April.
S2 (03:42):
Okay, that's great news. Now, what is that number for
people out there and how do people sign up?
S3 (03:50):
So from Tuesday the 22nd, which is the same day
that early voting opens across the country, you will be
able to call a number. It's A18 hundred number. That's 1800 913 993.
Once again that's 1800 913 993. You can call that number between
830 and 530 every weekday except for public holidays. And
(04:13):
that's important because Anzac Day is a public holiday this
year and we will register you for a telephone vote.
S2 (04:20):
Okay. Fantastic. Now, Alex, what's the process for people who've
signed up to the telephone voting? They've rung up to
cast their vote. What's the sort of steps that they
can expect now?
S3 (04:37):
The telephone vote itself for people that haven't done it before.
It's a two stage process, and it's in two stages
to preserve the privacy of your ballot. Of course, Australia
invented the secret ballot, and we wouldn't be doing our
jobs if we just took that away for people who
were blind or had low vision. So it's a two
call setup. So first and foremost, you give us a
(04:57):
call after you've registered. We verify your identity and check
you off the electoral roll. We then provide an anonymous code,
so you then call a second number and provide that
code without providing your name. And someone on the phone
will take your vote and walk you through the ballot paper.
Of course, in a completely anonymous way. So the privacy
(05:19):
of your vote is absolutely guaranteed through this process, which
is a really, really important part of the process. Now,
with that said, telephone voting is not the only thing
that we're doing to make voting accessible. And there are
a range of measures that we're going to have in
place at polling places as well, including some that we
have collaborated with through Vision Australia. We're looking at working
(05:40):
with Vision Australia to develop and distribute accessible information about
voting all the way through this election period.
S2 (05:47):
I'm very keen to hear about those. I mean, telephone
voting is fantastic, but people, when they do feel like
they would like to, you know, show up to the
polling place in person and cast their votes that way,
and they might have some mobility issues or they may
have issues with different surfaces with their cane or their
(06:08):
seeing eye dog, and they might have to deal with
those sort of things. Or, you know, how do they
fill out their vote in person? So I'm very keen
to get those details as well. Alex.
S3 (06:20):
Absolutely. So the most important thing I will say is
when the AEC publishes information about the locations of all
of the polling places, which will be in a couple
of weeks time on our polling place finder tool, you'll
be able to find information about accessibility options that are
available at the polling place. These will be including things about,
you know, whether a polling place is fully wheelchair accessible. Now,
(06:43):
if you're working with a cane, or if you're working
with a guide dog, you might want to avoid stairs
as well. So that is something that you can definitely
monitor and choose a polling place or even a pre-poll
voting place as well based on those criteria. We'll also
have information about some of the accessibility options that we
have in place, particularly for people who are blind or
have low vision.
S2 (07:03):
And Alex, it's not just people who are blind or
have low vision that the AEC is looking to make
things more accessible for. Of course, you've got quite a
few resources for voters who are deaf or hard of hearing,
isn't that right?
S3 (07:20):
Of course, we have hearing loops in place in selected
polling places. That's a technology that's been around for some
time now. We're continuing to roll it out, and information
about where those hearing loops will be available will be
available on our website. It's not every polling place, of course,
because with polling places, we're booking out things like school
gymnasiums and church halls. Some of them just don't have
(07:40):
the technology in place to offer that. But where we can,
we do. And that information is on our website.
S2 (07:45):
And Alex, there's some other technology for voters who are
blind or have low vision. On top of the telephone voting,
there's some digital technology available at some polling places for
voters who do show up to the polling place.
S3 (08:04):
The other really important technology that we're offering in some
polling places. So again, check the polling place finder to
work out which polling places you can find this technology at.
Text to speech pens. Again, this is something that you
might have used at previous elections. It's a great technology
for the people that need it. And you can find
all of that information on our website.
S2 (08:24):
And if all else fails, Alex, of course, there's the
traditional methods of getting assistance at the polling place. So
tell our listeners a little bit about how they go
about that and potentially call ahead of time to let
the polling place know that they might just need a
little bit of extra help.
S3 (08:44):
Now, the other thing that is available at any polling
place in Australia is, of course, the old favourite of
putting your hand up and asking for assistance. You can
if you have a friend with you, you can ask
your friend for assistance with casting your vote. You can also,
if you prefer, not to, you know, share your vote
with with a with a friend or or you'd prefer
to to keep that a bit more anonymous, you can
(09:06):
talk to an AEC staff member directly and we can
help you out with that process. We're not going to
tell you how to vote. Of course, that's not our
role and that's not something that we do. But we
will walk you through. Who's on the ballot paper. Where
would you like to allocate your first preference, your second preference, etc., etc.?
That is something we can do if you're in a
circumstance where you have there are some more serious accessibility
(09:26):
limitations and you're not even able to get out of
your car to get into a polling place, we can
actually bring ballot papers out to you as well. Just
flag that with our staff when you get to a
polling place, or if you'd like more information about that
as well, you can give us a call on 0132326,
and we can talk you through the best way to
approach that situation as well.
S2 (09:47):
And for voters who are deaf or hard of hearing, Alex,
there's more options for them as well if they head
along to certain polling places. Tell us a bit about that.
S3 (09:58):
Of course, the most important one as well. Yep. One
of the options that is new at this election, I believe,
or is being rolled out more at this election and
is something that we're really, really proud of, is a
virtual Auslan interpreter service that we're actually offering in collaboration
with Convo Australia. So when you get to a polling place,
there'll be a QR code that you can actually scan
with your phone, and that will give you access to
(10:21):
a virtual Auslan interpreter that you can then use while
you're talking to our staff. And that will walk you
through the entire voting process as well. So a really,
really important accessibility measure and something that I hope people
are okay.
S2 (10:36):
That is fantastic news for, you know, both the blind
and low vision and deaf and hard of hearing communities. Now, Alex,
let's get all of those contact details, all those websites,
all those emails, all those phone numbers for all of
our listeners out there. So that's, you know, how to
sign up for telephone voting or visit some websites or
(11:00):
emails to find out about that, how to find out
about the accessibility measures at polling places, or any general
information they might be interested in. What are some first
call go to places for people to contact the Aacn
find out more.
S3 (11:18):
Of course the repository of all wisdom is AEC. That
is our website. It has been updated for the election
and will continue to be updated as as the election
continues and we roll out the locations of polling places,
we'll also have information up about the names and the
ballot paper position of candidates. Once we've done the draw
for ballot paper position that's happening next Friday. So look
(11:42):
out for that. And we have information available specifically about
the accessibility options available to voters at AEC. Accessibility. You
can visit that page at any point during the period
and give us a call on 0132326. And our staff
can help you out with the answers to the questions
that you have. But the other thing that you can
(12:03):
do is that you can contact the AEC through the
National Relay Service. Now we have information about how to
do that on our website. But the National Relay Service
have been a partner for us for some time, and
we're really happy to be working with them again at
this election. And they are a great resource to get
you some more accessible information and to contact us in
a more accessible way. If you're on social media. You're
(12:25):
also welcome to reach out to us, either in a
public tag or just by sending us a DM. We
are active on Facebook, we are active on Instagram. We
are active on threads. You can find us on TikTok
for the first time. We're also on the site formerly
known as Twitter, now known as X, and you can
even find us on LinkedIn if you're feeling a little
bit more professionally minded, but you're welcome to reach out
(12:47):
to us via a DM or a tag on those platforms.
We'll be happy to answer your questions there as well.
S2 (12:52):
Oh wow, that's certainly covered all bases there. Thank you
so much, Alex. I've been speaking today with Alex Morris
from the Australian Electoral Commission here to chat to me
about the range of accessibility measures for voters who are
blind or have low vision or otherwise. Voters with disabilities
(13:14):
heading to polling places or signing up for telephone voting
in the lead up to the Australian federal election in May. Alex,
thank you so much for your time today. It was
great to catch up with you and hear about all
the ways that the AEC is making voting accessible for
(13:35):
all voters in Australia with disabilities.
S3 (13:38):
It's been my pleasure, Sam. Have a lovely election and
I look forward to seeing you at a polling place.
S2 (13:50):
I'm Sam Culley and you're listening to Talking Vision. On
Vision Australia Radio, Associated Stations of Reading Radio and the
Community Radio Network. I hope you enjoyed that conversation there
with Alex Morris. If you missed any part of that
conversation with Alex or you would love to hear it again.
(14:11):
Talking vision is available on the Vision Australia Radio website.
Simply head to VA radio Dot. That's VA radio all
one word.org. Or you can find the program on the
podcast app of your choice or through the Vision Australia library.
(14:32):
And now it's time this week for some news and information.
Noble May is conducting a national research project entitled Understanding
Election Accessibility for Australians with disability to better understand how
accessible the voting process is for people with disabilities, particularly
(14:54):
in the lead up to the 2025 federal election. This
work is not about political views or party preferences. Instead,
it focuses on the accessibility of voting itself, including how
to vote information, candidate materials, physical and digital voting environments,
(15:14):
and the overall ease of participating in our democracy. What
they're looking to achieve is to identify common barriers to
voting for people with disability across different formats, such as in-person,
postal or telephone. Explore how accessible and inclusive election information is.
(15:37):
For example, how to vote guides and candidate policies. Collect
lived experiences that illustrate what's working and what's not. And
to inform future improvements in election accessibility through insight led advocacy.
The research includes a short screener survey open to all
(15:58):
knowable Me May members and the wider community. Participants who
provide detailed responses may be invited to participate in a
longer $15 paid follow up survey, available either online or
by phone. In terms of who they're looking for, they're
seeking feedback from people with disability or access needs who
(16:23):
have voted before or planned to vote in the upcoming
federal election. The eligibility survey went live on the 2nd
of April 2025, and rolling invitations for paid survey interviews
are going out from the 7th of April. If you
(16:43):
haven't already taken part in the survey, there's still time
as the survey is open until the end of the
14th of April, 2025. To find out more, visit noble.com. Me,
that's k n o w a b l e dot
(17:03):
m or call 043518557. That's 04351855. Double seven to take part.
In other news, the Australian Disability Network Internship Program is
still open for applications until the 20th of April. Australian
(17:28):
Disability Network's internship program provides paid, practical work experience for
university students and recent graduates with disability. They understand the
unique challenges you may face, such as gaps in your
resume or limited access to part time work while studying.
(17:49):
Through this internship program, you'll have the chance to work
with inclusive employers who value diverse talent and are committed
to creating accessible workplaces. These internships are designed to help
you build your confidence, gain valuable experience, and take the
next steps toward your career goals. The internship period runs
(18:13):
from July to September 2025, and as mentioned, applications are
open until the 20th of April. If you have any questions,
please don't hesitate to contact Paula or the programs team
at applications at Ausdance. That's applications at. Now you might
(18:41):
be thinking Who's Paula? I haven't heard of Paula before. Well,
here and there you may have heard Brooke Carter on
the program. She was previously the program coordinator at Australian
Disability Network. But that's now Paula Bushell as Brooke is
moving on to another role in the organization, which is
(19:02):
very exciting. So all the best to Brooke. But yes,
if you'd love to find out a bit more about
the internships, get in touch with Paula. Get in touch
with the applications team. Or you can also head to
the Australian Disability Network website at Australian Disability Network. That's
(19:25):
Australian disability network. And finally this week we've got some
exciting news about 100 K yoga. The momentum from the
first wake of 100 K has been incredible. Vision Australia
radios for teams collectively raised over $12,000, which took us
(19:49):
three weeks to achieve in 2024. What an incredible effort. Well,
this week, 100 K yoga partners Specsavers will be doubling
every donation received on Friday the 11th of April. Every
$1 raised on Matched Giving Day will be worth $2,
with Specsavers matching up to $15,000 in fundraising. This is
(20:14):
for one day only, so spread the word for all
those listeners out there who are hearing this today. Let
everyone know, check it out and make a donation on
Friday the 11th. So remind your friends, family, and even
any friendly strangers you meet during the week to visit
(20:35):
the Vision Australia Radio website and click on the 100
way link to donate and double their impact on Friday
the 11th of April. Once you click through from the
front page, you'll find direct links to the Perth, Melbourne,
Adelaide or regional radio teams to ensure they support Vision
(20:59):
Australia radio and the vital work we do for the
print disability community. That website again for people out there.
VA radio.org. That's VA radio all one word.org. And now
(21:21):
here's Frances Cleland with a reader recommended.
S4 (21:24):
For those who like to follow the political machinations that
go on behind the scenes sometimes. So if you're not
sick of politics at this point in time, this is
a book by Niki Savva. It's called Plots and Prayers.
In an enthralling sequel to her best selling The Road
to Ruin. Niki Savva reveals the inside story of a
(21:46):
bungled coup that overthrew the Liberal Prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull,
and installed a surprise successor, Scott Morrison, who went on
to take the party to a miraculous electoral victory on
the 21st of August 20, 18, 35 Liberal MPs cast
their vote against Malcolm Turnbull, effectively signalling the end of
(22:06):
his leadership. Three days later, the deed was done and
Scott Morrison was anointed prime minister. Tony Abbott's relentless campaign
of destabilisation, helped along by his acolytes in the Parliament
and by his powerful media mates, the betrayals of colleagues
and the rise of the religious right climaxing in Peter
(22:26):
Dutton's challenge, all played a part in Turnbull's downfall, but
so did Turnbull's own poor political judgement. He was a
good prime minister and a terrible politician. The good bits
of Malcolm were not enough to make up for the
bad Malcolm. Nevertheless, the sheer brutality of his removal left
many liberals aghast. MPs were traumatised or humiliated by eight
(22:48):
days of madness. Men and women cried from sheer anguish.
They went through hell and feared when it was over
that they would not make it back, and nor would
the Liberal Party. As it turned out, redemption came with
Morrison's unexpected single handed 2019 election victory. Turnbull's road ended
in ruins as it was always bound to and as
(23:09):
he always knew it would. As he predicted to Niki
Savva less than three years before it happened. But when
his end was imminent, he could not bear to let
it go. And when it was over, he was defiant, fragile, and, yes, vengeful.
This is the inside story of what happened and what
happened next. Let's hear a sample of Plots and Prayers
(23:31):
by Niki Savva. It's narrated by Daniel Wilks.
S5 (23:35):
Malcolm Turnbull does not believe that Scott Morrison's stunning election
victory vindicated the coup against him. Turnbull remains confident he
could have won in 2019 and besides, the revolt by
the right was designed to install Peter Dutton, not Morrison,
as prime minister. The last person Dutton and his backers
(23:56):
wanted to lead the party was Turnbull. The second last
was Morrison. Turnbull also firmly believes that by holding out
against the insurgents during coup week by delaying a second ballot,
he gave Morrison precious time to gather the numbers to
triumph over Dutton. If there was any consolation for Turnbull,
(24:17):
this was it, particularly as he and those closest to
him had warned the plotters that if they persisted, the
week would end with Morrison, whom they disliked, being sworn
in as prime minister. It was only a part of
Turnbull's strategy that Morrison should succeed. The other part, the
primary objective, of course, was to save himself. Morrison, the
(24:40):
most astute conservative politician of his generation, did need the
extra time that Turnbull bought him. But the plotting and
planning by his lieutenants was already well advanced. It is
impossible to get to where he got in 24 hours,
which is what he later wanted people to believe. Morrison
(25:00):
had done what he could to save Turnbull from himself.
He knew he would be damaged if people thought he
had ascended to the Liberal leadership by being disloyal, or
if he had blood on his hands. The image of
him as a clean skin was vital to his success.
This did not stop some of his backers from talking
about how it happened. Nor his enemies from trying to
(25:23):
sully his reputation. He would not allow any of this
to distract him from his singular objective of winning an
election already deemed lost through the disunity and the despair
that had embedded itself in Liberal ranks after the knifing
of two prime ministers.
S4 (25:41):
That was plots and prayers by Niki Savva. Niki is
spelt n I k I sorry n I k I
and Savva is sa double v a s a double
v a. That book goes for about 14.5 hours.
S2 (25:59):
And that's all the time we have for today. You've
been listening to Talking Vision. Talking vision is a Vision
Australia radio production. Thanks to all involved with putting the
show together every week. And remember, we love hearing from you.
So please get in touch anytime on our email at
Talking Vision. Vision Australia. That's talking vision all. One word
(26:24):
at Vision Australia dot. But until next week it's Sam
Corley saying bye for now.
S1 (26:34):
You can contact Vision Australia by phoning us anytime during
business hours on one 384 746. That's one 384 74 six.
Or by visiting Vision Australia. That's Vision Australia.
From Vision Australia. This is talking vision. And now here's
your host Sam Colley.
S2 (00:23):
Hello, everyone. It's great to be here with you. And
for the next half hour we talk matters of blindness
and low vision. Welcome to the program. This week we
chat with Alex Morris from the Australian Electoral Commission, who's
here to chat to me about the ways that the
Commission is making voting accessible, safe and private for voters
(00:47):
who are blind or have low vision and others with
disabilities more broadly. That conversation's coming up very shortly, so
make sure to stick around to find out more. Then
after we hear from Alex, we've got some news and
information to share. Before we finish up with a reader
(01:08):
recommended from Francis Kelland, I hope you'll enjoy this week's
episode of Talking Vision. With the Australian federal election coming
up in just under a month's time. The safety, accessibility
and privacy of the votes of the blind and low
(01:31):
vision community is, of course, paramount to not only the
Australian Electoral Commission, but also blindness and low vision organisations
around Australia. So with that in mind, it's my great
pleasure to welcome today Alex Morris from the Australian Electoral
(01:52):
Commission to talk to us about the accessibility measures in
place for voters with disabilities. Alex, welcome to Talking Vision.
Thank you very much for your time today.
S3 (02:06):
Thank you for having me, Sam. It's a pleasure.
S2 (02:08):
Now, firstly, Alex, I think let's get to the heart
of the matter. As people may or no doubt be aware,
the election is coming up in a few weeks. And
for our listeners who are blind or have low vision,
they might have a little bit of anxiety or, you know,
trepidation about, oh, how is my how am I going
(02:30):
to get an accessible vote? You know, what sort of
measures are in place for me? So just to put
their minds at rest, so to speak, what sort of
accessibility measures can the AEC promise for voters who are
blind or have low vision.
S3 (02:46):
Of course. And first of all, I completely understand where
those listeners would be coming from. It's, uh, it's something
that we've worked really, really hard at, uh, at the
AEC for quite some time now, and I'm really hopeful
that this is going to be, uh, good news for
a lot of your listeners. So first and foremost, we
do have a telephone voting option available for voters who
(03:09):
are blind or have low vision. It's the same telephone
voting option that was previously made available at the last
federal election for voters who had tested positive for Covid
as well. But thankfully, the Covid conditions have changed somewhat
and we're no longer in a position of needing to
do that, which means the service is now just for
blind and low vision voters, as well as people in
(03:30):
in Antarctica, those brave explorers down there now. It's a
service that hasn't started yet at the time of recording,
but will be opening for registration on Tuesday the 22nd
of April.
S2 (03:42):
Okay, that's great news. Now, what is that number for
people out there and how do people sign up?
S3 (03:50):
So from Tuesday the 22nd, which is the same day
that early voting opens across the country, you will be
able to call a number. It's A18 hundred number. That's 1800 913 993.
Once again that's 1800 913 993. You can call that number between
830 and 530 every weekday except for public holidays. And
(04:13):
that's important because Anzac Day is a public holiday this
year and we will register you for a telephone vote.
S2 (04:20):
Okay. Fantastic. Now, Alex, what's the process for people who've
signed up to the telephone voting? They've rung up to
cast their vote. What's the sort of steps that they
can expect now?
S3 (04:37):
The telephone vote itself for people that haven't done it before.
It's a two stage process, and it's in two stages
to preserve the privacy of your ballot. Of course, Australia
invented the secret ballot, and we wouldn't be doing our
jobs if we just took that away for people who
were blind or had low vision. So it's a two
call setup. So first and foremost, you give us a
(04:57):
call after you've registered. We verify your identity and check
you off the electoral roll. We then provide an anonymous code,
so you then call a second number and provide that
code without providing your name. And someone on the phone
will take your vote and walk you through the ballot paper.
Of course, in a completely anonymous way. So the privacy
(05:19):
of your vote is absolutely guaranteed through this process, which
is a really, really important part of the process. Now,
with that said, telephone voting is not the only thing
that we're doing to make voting accessible. And there are
a range of measures that we're going to have in
place at polling places as well, including some that we
have collaborated with through Vision Australia. We're looking at working
(05:40):
with Vision Australia to develop and distribute accessible information about
voting all the way through this election period.
S2 (05:47):
I'm very keen to hear about those. I mean, telephone
voting is fantastic, but people, when they do feel like
they would like to, you know, show up to the
polling place in person and cast their votes that way,
and they might have some mobility issues or they may
have issues with different surfaces with their cane or their
(06:08):
seeing eye dog, and they might have to deal with
those sort of things. Or, you know, how do they
fill out their vote in person? So I'm very keen
to get those details as well. Alex.
S3 (06:20):
Absolutely. So the most important thing I will say is
when the AEC publishes information about the locations of all
of the polling places, which will be in a couple
of weeks time on our polling place finder tool, you'll
be able to find information about accessibility options that are
available at the polling place. These will be including things about,
you know, whether a polling place is fully wheelchair accessible. Now,
(06:43):
if you're working with a cane, or if you're working
with a guide dog, you might want to avoid stairs
as well. So that is something that you can definitely
monitor and choose a polling place or even a pre-poll
voting place as well based on those criteria. We'll also
have information about some of the accessibility options that we
have in place, particularly for people who are blind or
have low vision.
S2 (07:03):
And Alex, it's not just people who are blind or
have low vision that the AEC is looking to make
things more accessible for. Of course, you've got quite a
few resources for voters who are deaf or hard of hearing,
isn't that right?
S3 (07:20):
Of course, we have hearing loops in place in selected
polling places. That's a technology that's been around for some
time now. We're continuing to roll it out, and information
about where those hearing loops will be available will be
available on our website. It's not every polling place, of course,
because with polling places, we're booking out things like school
gymnasiums and church halls. Some of them just don't have
(07:40):
the technology in place to offer that. But where we can,
we do. And that information is on our website.
S2 (07:45):
And Alex, there's some other technology for voters who are
blind or have low vision. On top of the telephone voting,
there's some digital technology available at some polling places for
voters who do show up to the polling place.
S3 (08:04):
The other really important technology that we're offering in some
polling places. So again, check the polling place finder to
work out which polling places you can find this technology at.
Text to speech pens. Again, this is something that you
might have used at previous elections. It's a great technology
for the people that need it. And you can find
all of that information on our website.
S2 (08:24):
And if all else fails, Alex, of course, there's the
traditional methods of getting assistance at the polling place. So
tell our listeners a little bit about how they go
about that and potentially call ahead of time to let
the polling place know that they might just need a
little bit of extra help.
S3 (08:44):
Now, the other thing that is available at any polling
place in Australia is, of course, the old favourite of
putting your hand up and asking for assistance. You can
if you have a friend with you, you can ask
your friend for assistance with casting your vote. You can also,
if you prefer, not to, you know, share your vote
with with a with a friend or or you'd prefer
to to keep that a bit more anonymous, you can
(09:06):
talk to an AEC staff member directly and we can
help you out with that process. We're not going to
tell you how to vote. Of course, that's not our
role and that's not something that we do. But we
will walk you through. Who's on the ballot paper. Where
would you like to allocate your first preference, your second preference, etc., etc.?
That is something we can do if you're in a
circumstance where you have there are some more serious accessibility
(09:26):
limitations and you're not even able to get out of
your car to get into a polling place, we can
actually bring ballot papers out to you as well. Just
flag that with our staff when you get to a
polling place, or if you'd like more information about that
as well, you can give us a call on 0132326,
and we can talk you through the best way to
approach that situation as well.
S2 (09:47):
And for voters who are deaf or hard of hearing, Alex,
there's more options for them as well if they head
along to certain polling places. Tell us a bit about that.
S3 (09:58):
Of course, the most important one as well. Yep. One
of the options that is new at this election, I believe,
or is being rolled out more at this election and
is something that we're really, really proud of, is a
virtual Auslan interpreter service that we're actually offering in collaboration
with Convo Australia. So when you get to a polling place,
there'll be a QR code that you can actually scan
with your phone, and that will give you access to
(10:21):
a virtual Auslan interpreter that you can then use while
you're talking to our staff. And that will walk you
through the entire voting process as well. So a really,
really important accessibility measure and something that I hope people
are okay.
S2 (10:36):
That is fantastic news for, you know, both the blind
and low vision and deaf and hard of hearing communities. Now, Alex,
let's get all of those contact details, all those websites,
all those emails, all those phone numbers for all of
our listeners out there. So that's, you know, how to
sign up for telephone voting or visit some websites or
(11:00):
emails to find out about that, how to find out
about the accessibility measures at polling places, or any general
information they might be interested in. What are some first
call go to places for people to contact the Aacn
find out more.
S3 (11:18):
Of course the repository of all wisdom is AEC. That
is our website. It has been updated for the election
and will continue to be updated as as the election
continues and we roll out the locations of polling places,
we'll also have information up about the names and the
ballot paper position of candidates. Once we've done the draw
for ballot paper position that's happening next Friday. So look
(11:42):
out for that. And we have information available specifically about
the accessibility options available to voters at AEC. Accessibility. You
can visit that page at any point during the period
and give us a call on 0132326. And our staff
can help you out with the answers to the questions
that you have. But the other thing that you can
(12:03):
do is that you can contact the AEC through the
National Relay Service. Now we have information about how to
do that on our website. But the National Relay Service
have been a partner for us for some time, and
we're really happy to be working with them again at
this election. And they are a great resource to get
you some more accessible information and to contact us in
a more accessible way. If you're on social media. You're
(12:25):
also welcome to reach out to us, either in a
public tag or just by sending us a DM. We
are active on Facebook, we are active on Instagram. We
are active on threads. You can find us on TikTok
for the first time. We're also on the site formerly
known as Twitter, now known as X, and you can
even find us on LinkedIn if you're feeling a little
bit more professionally minded, but you're welcome to reach out
(12:47):
to us via a DM or a tag on those platforms.
We'll be happy to answer your questions there as well.
S2 (12:52):
Oh wow, that's certainly covered all bases there. Thank you
so much, Alex. I've been speaking today with Alex Morris
from the Australian Electoral Commission here to chat to me
about the range of accessibility measures for voters who are
blind or have low vision or otherwise. Voters with disabilities
(13:14):
heading to polling places or signing up for telephone voting
in the lead up to the Australian federal election in May. Alex,
thank you so much for your time today. It was
great to catch up with you and hear about all
the ways that the AEC is making voting accessible for
(13:35):
all voters in Australia with disabilities.
S3 (13:38):
It's been my pleasure, Sam. Have a lovely election and
I look forward to seeing you at a polling place.
S2 (13:50):
I'm Sam Culley and you're listening to Talking Vision. On
Vision Australia Radio, Associated Stations of Reading Radio and the
Community Radio Network. I hope you enjoyed that conversation there
with Alex Morris. If you missed any part of that
conversation with Alex or you would love to hear it again.
(14:11):
Talking vision is available on the Vision Australia Radio website.
Simply head to VA radio Dot. That's VA radio all
one word.org. Or you can find the program on the
podcast app of your choice or through the Vision Australia library.
(14:32):
And now it's time this week for some news and information.
Noble May is conducting a national research project entitled Understanding
Election Accessibility for Australians with disability to better understand how
accessible the voting process is for people with disabilities, particularly
(14:54):
in the lead up to the 2025 federal election. This
work is not about political views or party preferences. Instead,
it focuses on the accessibility of voting itself, including how
to vote information, candidate materials, physical and digital voting environments,
(15:14):
and the overall ease of participating in our democracy. What
they're looking to achieve is to identify common barriers to
voting for people with disability across different formats, such as in-person,
postal or telephone. Explore how accessible and inclusive election information is.
(15:37):
For example, how to vote guides and candidate policies. Collect
lived experiences that illustrate what's working and what's not. And
to inform future improvements in election accessibility through insight led advocacy.
The research includes a short screener survey open to all
(15:58):
knowable Me May members and the wider community. Participants who
provide detailed responses may be invited to participate in a
longer $15 paid follow up survey, available either online or
by phone. In terms of who they're looking for, they're
seeking feedback from people with disability or access needs who
(16:23):
have voted before or planned to vote in the upcoming
federal election. The eligibility survey went live on the 2nd
of April 2025, and rolling invitations for paid survey interviews
are going out from the 7th of April. If you
(16:43):
haven't already taken part in the survey, there's still time
as the survey is open until the end of the
14th of April, 2025. To find out more, visit noble.com. Me,
that's k n o w a b l e dot
(17:03):
m or call 043518557. That's 04351855. Double seven to take part.
In other news, the Australian Disability Network Internship Program is
still open for applications until the 20th of April. Australian
(17:28):
Disability Network's internship program provides paid, practical work experience for
university students and recent graduates with disability. They understand the
unique challenges you may face, such as gaps in your
resume or limited access to part time work while studying.
(17:49):
Through this internship program, you'll have the chance to work
with inclusive employers who value diverse talent and are committed
to creating accessible workplaces. These internships are designed to help
you build your confidence, gain valuable experience, and take the
next steps toward your career goals. The internship period runs
(18:13):
from July to September 2025, and as mentioned, applications are
open until the 20th of April. If you have any questions,
please don't hesitate to contact Paula or the programs team
at applications at Ausdance. That's applications at. Now you might
(18:41):
be thinking Who's Paula? I haven't heard of Paula before. Well,
here and there you may have heard Brooke Carter on
the program. She was previously the program coordinator at Australian
Disability Network. But that's now Paula Bushell as Brooke is
moving on to another role in the organization, which is
(19:02):
very exciting. So all the best to Brooke. But yes,
if you'd love to find out a bit more about
the internships, get in touch with Paula. Get in touch
with the applications team. Or you can also head to
the Australian Disability Network website at Australian Disability Network. That's
(19:25):
Australian disability network. And finally this week we've got some
exciting news about 100 K yoga. The momentum from the
first wake of 100 K has been incredible. Vision Australia
radios for teams collectively raised over $12,000, which took us
(19:49):
three weeks to achieve in 2024. What an incredible effort. Well,
this week, 100 K yoga partners Specsavers will be doubling
every donation received on Friday the 11th of April. Every
$1 raised on Matched Giving Day will be worth $2,
with Specsavers matching up to $15,000 in fundraising. This is
(20:14):
for one day only, so spread the word for all
those listeners out there who are hearing this today. Let
everyone know, check it out and make a donation on
Friday the 11th. So remind your friends, family, and even
any friendly strangers you meet during the week to visit
(20:35):
the Vision Australia Radio website and click on the 100
way link to donate and double their impact on Friday
the 11th of April. Once you click through from the
front page, you'll find direct links to the Perth, Melbourne,
Adelaide or regional radio teams to ensure they support Vision
(20:59):
Australia radio and the vital work we do for the
print disability community. That website again for people out there.
VA radio.org. That's VA radio all one word.org. And now
(21:21):
here's Frances Cleland with a reader recommended.
S4 (21:24):
For those who like to follow the political machinations that
go on behind the scenes sometimes. So if you're not
sick of politics at this point in time, this is
a book by Niki Savva. It's called Plots and Prayers.
In an enthralling sequel to her best selling The Road
to Ruin. Niki Savva reveals the inside story of a
(21:46):
bungled coup that overthrew the Liberal Prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull,
and installed a surprise successor, Scott Morrison, who went on
to take the party to a miraculous electoral victory on
the 21st of August 20, 18, 35 Liberal MPs cast
their vote against Malcolm Turnbull, effectively signalling the end of
(22:06):
his leadership. Three days later, the deed was done and
Scott Morrison was anointed prime minister. Tony Abbott's relentless campaign
of destabilisation, helped along by his acolytes in the Parliament
and by his powerful media mates, the betrayals of colleagues
and the rise of the religious right climaxing in Peter
(22:26):
Dutton's challenge, all played a part in Turnbull's downfall, but
so did Turnbull's own poor political judgement. He was a
good prime minister and a terrible politician. The good bits
of Malcolm were not enough to make up for the
bad Malcolm. Nevertheless, the sheer brutality of his removal left
many liberals aghast. MPs were traumatised or humiliated by eight
(22:48):
days of madness. Men and women cried from sheer anguish.
They went through hell and feared when it was over
that they would not make it back, and nor would
the Liberal Party. As it turned out, redemption came with
Morrison's unexpected single handed 2019 election victory. Turnbull's road ended
in ruins as it was always bound to and as
(23:09):
he always knew it would. As he predicted to Niki
Savva less than three years before it happened. But when
his end was imminent, he could not bear to let
it go. And when it was over, he was defiant, fragile, and, yes, vengeful.
This is the inside story of what happened and what
happened next. Let's hear a sample of Plots and Prayers
(23:31):
by Niki Savva. It's narrated by Daniel Wilks.
S5 (23:35):
Malcolm Turnbull does not believe that Scott Morrison's stunning election
victory vindicated the coup against him. Turnbull remains confident he
could have won in 2019 and besides, the revolt by
the right was designed to install Peter Dutton, not Morrison,
as prime minister. The last person Dutton and his backers
(23:56):
wanted to lead the party was Turnbull. The second last
was Morrison. Turnbull also firmly believes that by holding out
against the insurgents during coup week by delaying a second ballot,
he gave Morrison precious time to gather the numbers to
triumph over Dutton. If there was any consolation for Turnbull,
(24:17):
this was it, particularly as he and those closest to
him had warned the plotters that if they persisted, the
week would end with Morrison, whom they disliked, being sworn
in as prime minister. It was only a part of
Turnbull's strategy that Morrison should succeed. The other part, the
primary objective, of course, was to save himself. Morrison, the
(24:40):
most astute conservative politician of his generation, did need the
extra time that Turnbull bought him. But the plotting and
planning by his lieutenants was already well advanced. It is
impossible to get to where he got in 24 hours,
which is what he later wanted people to believe. Morrison
(25:00):
had done what he could to save Turnbull from himself.
He knew he would be damaged if people thought he
had ascended to the Liberal leadership by being disloyal, or
if he had blood on his hands. The image of
him as a clean skin was vital to his success.
This did not stop some of his backers from talking
about how it happened. Nor his enemies from trying to
(25:23):
sully his reputation. He would not allow any of this
to distract him from his singular objective of winning an
election already deemed lost through the disunity and the despair
that had embedded itself in Liberal ranks after the knifing
of two prime ministers.
S4 (25:41):
That was plots and prayers by Niki Savva. Niki is
spelt n I k I sorry n I k I
and Savva is sa double v a s a double
v a. That book goes for about 14.5 hours.
S2 (25:59):
And that's all the time we have for today. You've
been listening to Talking Vision. Talking vision is a Vision
Australia radio production. Thanks to all involved with putting the
show together every week. And remember, we love hearing from you.
So please get in touch anytime on our email at
Talking Vision. Vision Australia. That's talking vision all. One word
(26:24):
at Vision Australia dot. But until next week it's Sam
Corley saying bye for now.
S1 (26:34):
You can contact Vision Australia by phoning us anytime during
business hours on one 384 746. That's one 384 74 six.
Or by visiting Vision Australia. That's Vision Australia.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
The Joe Rogan Experience
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.
True Crime Tonight
If you eat, sleep, and breathe true crime, TRUE CRIME TONIGHT is serving up your nightly fix. Five nights a week, KT STUDIOS & iHEART RADIO invite listeners to pull up a seat for an unfiltered look at the biggest cases making headlines, celebrity scandals, and the trials everyone is watching. With a mix of expert analysis, hot takes, and listener call-ins, TRUE CRIME TONIGHT goes beyond the headlines to uncover the twists, turns, and unanswered questions that keep us all obsessed—because, at TRUE CRIME TONIGHT, there’s a seat for everyone. Whether breaking down crime scene forensics, scrutinizing serial killers, or debating the most binge-worthy true crime docs, True Crime Tonight is the fresh, fast-paced, and slightly addictive home for true crime lovers.