GetUp at the High Court

"Because of GetUp! I just received an email from the AEC saying that I can now vote! Oh the relief and excitement. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU. I hope my over-capitalisation adequately expresses the gratitude I feel." - Jules, GetUp member....

Yesterday afternoon the Chief Justice of the High Court ruled in favour of two courageous, young GetUp members who stood against unfair Howard-era electoral law. As a result of this landmark constitutional case, they and 100,000 other Australians who wouldn't have otherwise had the chance, will be able to vote at this election. Thanks for making that possible.

The court declared unconstitutional the amendments to the Electoral Act that made it harder for people to vote by closing the electoral rolls on the same day that the election is officially called.

The Australian newspaper called it an "historic day for democracy". It is an incredible victory - and one that we can all be proud of. Check out the full story in this video:

www.getup.org.au/campaign/thankyou

The High Court case started two weeks ago when a huge majority of GetUp members voted to pursue legal challenges to the Electoral Act. GetUp has never before engaged in legal advocacy, but together we used the Court to undo Howard's unjust law. From around the country, thousands of people wrote and called in to the GetUp office with offers of help: from young Australians offering to be plaintiffs in the case to offers of financial support and expert legal advice.

One of those callers was Phil Lynch from the Human Rights Law Resource Centre, who put us in touch with Ron Merkel - one of Australia's top QCs. As we talked to Ron it became clear that this was far, far bigger than we first imagined, and that we were facing a constitutional challenge in front of the full bench of the High Court.

The offers of help kept coming. The biggest law firm in the country, Mallesons, volunteered their services as solicitors, and over the last two weeks their team worked around the clock on the case.

Finally, Doug and Shannen - two young GetUp members who missed out on the enrolment deadline - stepped up to take on the Commonwealth as plaintiffs in the case. Two young Australians with the guts to take on the Commonwealth in a historic legal challenge that will forever be part of Australian jurisprudence: Rowe and Anor vs Electoral Commissioner and Anor 2010.
It ended in the fastest constitutional challenge in Australian history - but this campaign has been a long fight. It began back in 2006, when the former Howard Government passed laws that closed the electoral roll at 8pm the same day an election is officially called. The laws were called the 'Electoral Integrity Act' - but in effect they prevented hundreds of thousands of Australians from voting; particularly young people, recent migrants, Indigenous Australians and poorer Australians.

GetUp members fought back by hitting the streets to enrol thousands of young voters and generating a huge petition against the undemocratic laws. When the new Government promised to overturn the 'Electoral Integrity Act', we thought we had won.... but the Labor Government failed to push their changes through the Senate. And in the final session of Parliament this year it seemed we were just hours away from seeing the bills pass - but the Senate ran out of time to vote.

Yesterday's High Court's decision finally means the end of these undemocratic laws. It means that this election, 100,000 Australians will be able to vote who wouldn't otherwise have had the change. And it also created a new constitutional principle that has widened our democratic rights in Australia.

www.getup.org.au/campaign/thankyou

To everyone who has been part of this campaign (and that's you) thank you and congratulations.

Yours in the change-making,
the GetUp team.