Expatriate voting in Australia steady

Press, 26 November 1981, Page 2

Expatriate voting in Australia steady

NZPA staff correspondent Sydney New Zealanders have been voting steadily in Australia for the General Election on Saturday. Consulates throughout Australia reported interest picking up this week, with many inquiries about voting. However, the over-all impression was of steady voting and possibly only slightly more votes being cast this

year than in 1978. Consular representatives in Brisbane and Canberra reported votes recorded already being up on the same period in 1978. Melbourne was down, and Perth about the same.

In Sydney, the busiest centre, the Consul, Mr Terence Sutherland, expected that about 2000 votes would have been cast by the time voting stopped tomorrow evening.

. In 1978, just under 4000 special votes for the New Zealand General Election were recorded in Australia. Sydney had the highest with 1680, then Melbourne, 1104; Brisbane, 516; Perth, 379; and Canberra, 290. A survey of some New Zealand diplomatic posts in Asia on Tuesday showed that the number of special votes being vast in the region is likely to be greater than three years ago. The greatest concentration of New Zealanders in the region is with the New Zealand Force, South-East Asia, based in Singapore. Special polling booths set up for the servicemen and their families last Friday and Saturday registered 729 votes.