The Electoral and Referendum Regulations 2026, effective March 20, 2026, have been enacted in Australia. These regulations, authorized by the Referendum (Machinery Provisions) Act 1984 and the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918, detail provisions for electoral roll matters and enrolment processes. Key areas covered include the simplified outline of the instrument, definitions, prescribed authorities for information sharing, and permitted purposes for the use of electoral information by various entities, including the Commonwealth funded blood service and research organizations.

Compliance officers should familiarize themselves with the new regulations, particularly concerning the handling and permitted uses of electoral roll information. While the document outlines the framework, specific operational procedures for entities interacting with electoral data will need to be reviewed. The regulations are administered by the Department of Finance, and adherence to the specified provisions for information use is mandatory.