Overview

The year marks a century since the introduction of compulsory voting in federal elections in Australia. Compulsory voting laid one of the foundations for our distinctive electoral system and gave effect to the ideal that every Australian should have a voice. While in 1912 Australia became the first Commonwealth nation to introduce compulsory enrolment to vote in federal elections, voting was not made compulsory until 1924. Even so, we were one of the first countries in the world to introduce compulsory voting.

The introduction of compulsory voting in 1924 established a unique model of democracy that now gives all Australian citizens 18 years and older both the right and obligation to enrol and to vote in federal elections. Of course, this did not originally apply to ALL Australians. Indigenous Australians did not gain the right to vote in federal elections until 1962. This amendment to the electoral act also gave First Nations peoples the opportunity to participate in the historic 1967 referendum to count them as part of the population. Remarkably, it was not until 1984 that enrolment and voting became compulsory for all, including Indigenous Australians.

Today there are more than 17 million registered voters, with 97.8 per cent of eligible Australians on the electoral roll.

Technical specifications

Issue date
16 July 2024
Issue withdrawal date
1 February 2025
Denomination
$1.50 x 1
Stamp & product design
Visua®
Paper: gummed
Tullis Russell 104gsm Red Phosphor
Printer
EGO
Printing process
Offset lithography
Stamp size (mm)
26 x 37.5
Sheetlet size (mm)
101 x 156
Perforations
14.6 x 13.86
Sheet layout
Module of 10
FDI Postmark
Canberra ACT 2601
FDI withdrawal date
14 August 2024

Stamps in this issue

$1.50 Voting at the ballot box

The act of voting is depicted schematically, with the ballot being inserted into the secure ballot box. Anonymous voting or the secret ballot is a system whereby the voter’s identity is not known. This system was introduced at state level in 1856 in South Australia, Victoria and Tasmania. Also called the “Australian ballot”, the secret ballot was influential, and later adopted in Britain and USA.

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Gummed stamp:

Centenary of Compulsory Voting Gummed Stamp

This single stamp design is from the Centenary of Compulsory Voting stamp issue.

Gummed stamps - RRP: $1.50

Sheetlet:

Centenary of Compulsory Voting Sheetlet

This sheetlet of gummed stamps from the Centenary of Compulsory Voting stamp issue presents the stamp design as a sheetlet of 10.

Sheetlet - RRP: $15

Sheetlet pack:

Centenary of Compulsory Voting Sheetlet Pack

This first day cover from the Centenary of Compulsory Voting stamp issue presents the gummed stamp with an official postmark.

Sheetlet Pack RRP: $12.75

First Day Cover (Gummed):

Centenary of Compulsory Voting Gummed First Day Cover

This first day cover from the Centenary of Compulsory Voting stamp issue presents the gummed stamp with an official postmark.

First day cover (gummed) RRP: $1.80

Additional collectables:

This content was produced at the time of the stamp issue release date and will not be updated.