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Add page to: Add page to: Something that I've known for a while but continue to be appalled about is that while voting is mandatory and you are obliged to enroll - your privacy is not respected. Anyone can access the electoral roll and by just knowing your surname can access your address.
The roll is produced on microfiche twice a year and is available for public inspection at all AEC offices.
Printed copies of the electoral roll for public inspection and public sale are printed at least once during the first two years of the life of a Parliament. Special access to roll details is provided to Members of Parliament, certain Commonwealth agencies and political parties and full details of this access are listed on the AEC's website.
from: www.aec.gov.au/_content/how/pocket/sec33.htm#3_3_public
Following the implementation of the Electoral and Referendum Amendment (Access to Electoral Roll and Other Measures) Act 2004 on 21 July 2004, the CEA does not permit the sale of the electoral roll in any format.
from: www.aec.gov.au/_content/what/publications/information/maps.htm#roll
I believe that in order to have your name withheld from the publicly available electoral role you have to have a position that puts you at risk (I think judges, politicians, police and nurses may be included in this list) or have proof that you are at risk if your details are on the list - not always easy to provide proof.
I know a person who accesses the electoral role to find out where people are, yet who has not registered to vote because they do not want to be on the publicly available listing themselves. However, I would have never known the electoral roll was available for viewing by the public without knowing this person and knowing how he/she uses this publicly available information.
I strongly disagree with the electoral roll being made public and believe that the details I provide should only be used for the purpose I intended them to be used... to indentify me when I go to vote.
If you disagree with your details being made public, you should definitely send a letter stating your concerns or disagreement to your local member of parliament, the electoral office or even a Fedral Government representative. The list will remain accessible to the general public unless enough people make it clear that they did not make their details available for everyone... just for the purpose of identifying themselves when they go to vote and therefore they would prefer they be kept confidential and only used for that purpose.