Inclusion and participation

Four VEC staff members stand behind an information table at an electoral outreach session. They each hold various election information materials in their hands.

In 2023–24 we continued our work towards more inclusive elections by focusing on accessibility, active citizenship, and empowering communities. We delivered 96 of the 122 proposed actions in our inclusion plans. Seven actions were superseded, and the rest are on track for delivery, or experiencing only minor issues.

Ahead of the 2024 local council elections, we focused on building new partnerships and engaging with Aboriginal communities. This included collaborations with the Koorie Excellence and Leadership in Schools and Kiilala'ana Youth Leadership programs. Our young Aboriginal democracy ambassadors, mentored by Elders, played a vital role in making electoral information accessible and culturally safe.

We attended 53 cultural and community gatherings, including conferences, forums, and professional networking events across Victoria, such as the Victorian Multicultural Commission’s 40th anniversary celebration. In recognition of Cultural Diversity Week, we also hosted a ‘Taste of Harmony’ event to foster inclusion and safety in the workplace.

We also delivered 34 sessions to schools and disability services across Melbourne and regional Victoria to help young people understand enrolment and voting.

Low-sensory voting trial

At the 2023 Warrandyte District by-election, we trialled low-sensory voting to support autistic and neurodiverse voters. Adjustments included:

  • dimmed lighting
  • reduced background noise
  • extra space around each voting booth
  • accessible parking
  • staff trained in the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower program
  • accessible bathrooms.

A total of 321 people voted during the trial on 16 August from 9:30 am to 2 pm.

Community members and our staff widely support low-sensory voting features. Unfortunately, some voters could not use the trial site because they found the behaviour of the candidate and party workers there upsetting.

Inclusion plans

We delivered 13 of 18 actions from our Out of home action plan 2021–23, including updating our prisoner education programs and collaborating with people with lived experience of incarceration or homelessness to better understand challenges facing these communities.

Our Multicultural inclusion action plan 2020–23 helped us develop multilingual resources and strengthen stakeholder relationships. We also trained democracy ambassadors to deliver education sessions to culturally and linguistically diverse voters in their native language. We delivered 20 of the 26 goals in the plan.

Under the Young people inclusion plan 2021–23, we sponsored 6 teams to participate in the 2023 Youth Parliament program for young people aged 15 to 25. Additionally, our Passport to Democracy Program resulted in 15,575 website visits and 244 resource downloads this year.

We delivered 37 of 50 goals from our Disability access and inclusion plan 2021–23, with 4 superseded. This included developing Easy English guides and delivering sessions in specialist and special development schools.

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