This report presents the results of the Shepherdson Inquiry (2000), an independent inquiry into allegations of electoral fraud that came about from public allegations about the possibility of electoral fraud by members of the Queensland, Australia branch of the Australian Labor Party (ALP).
In September 2000, the Criminal Justice Commission (CJC) authorized the Honorable Shepherdson of Queensland to conduct an investigation and gather information into allegations of official misconduct relating to electoral fraud by members of the Queensland branch of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) and report results of the investigation to the CJC. The report sets out the evidence bearing on the terms of reference and addresses the question of whether there is sufficient evidence to refer any matter to an appropriate prosecuting authority for consideration. It summarizes the public hearings that were conducted relating to the terms of reference. The Inquiry set out to investigate and report any alleged official misconduct affecting the electoral roll relevant to the conduct of the: (1) the 1996 Townsville plebiscite (State or government); (2) the 1996 Mundingburra by-election; (3) the 1993 East Brisbane plebiscite; (4) the 1993 Morningside plebiscite; and (5) the 1986 South Brisbane plebiscite. The Inquiry also sought evidence of electoral fraud in the conduct of any ALP state or local government within the years 1993 to 1997. The allegations examined by the Inquiry related to two main categories of false enrollment: forgery and consensual false enrollment. The information gathered during the Inquiry clearly established that the practice of making consensual false enrollments to bolster the chances of specific candidates in pre-selections was regarded by some Party members as a legitimate campaign tactic. There was no evidence indicating that the tactic had been generally used to influence the outcome of public elections. When used in public elections, the practice appeared to be opportunistic or related to family circumstances for certain candidates instead of systemic or widespread. The Inquiry uncovered evidence of forgery, but there was significant difficulty in obtaining evidence to establish who was responsible. Comments and general observations were presented concerning electoral processes and other matters. Attachments and publications