What is the penalty for not voting in a federal election in Australia?

The penalty for not voting in a federal election in Australia is a fine, currently 20 dollars for a first apparent failure to vote, rising to 50 dollars for subsequent offences. The penalty is set by the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918 and administered by the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC).

After every federal election, the AEC writes to every enrolled voter whose name was not marked off the roll at a polling place. The notice asks the voter to either provide a valid reason for not voting, pay the 20-dollar penalty, or indicate that they did vote (in case the name was missed from the mark-off). Valid reasons include illness, religious objection, being away from home and unable to vote pre-poll or postal, and other reasonable explanations. The AEC processes responses and refers unresolved matters to a Court of Petty Sessions for prosecution.

Prosecution is rare in practice. Most voters who do not provide a valid reason pay the fine, and the AEC's processes are designed to be administrative rather than punitive. Court-imposed penalties for non-voting can rise to 222 dollars plus costs in serious cases, but only a small number of cases each year result in court proceedings. The threat of even a modest fine, combined with the social expectation that Australians vote, sustains turnout at above 90 per cent of enrolled voters at most federal elections.

State and territory elections have similar compulsory-voting rules and similar penalty structures. NSW, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia, Tasmania, the ACT, and the Northern Territory all enforce compulsory voting for state and territory elections with fines for non-voting. Most state fines are in the same range (20 to 110 dollars depending on circumstances), and most state electoral commissions follow the AEC's approach of inviting explanation before imposing penalties. Local government elections vary by state: Victoria and Tasmania use compulsory voting for local elections, others use voluntary voting at the local level.