Skip to main content
Home

Header menu

  • Site map
  • Accessibility
  • Contact us
  • About Us
    • Customer Service
    • Working at the Commission
    • Making a payment
      • Payment options
      • Refund Policy
    • Publications
      • Annual Reports
      • Disability Access and Inclusion Plan
      • Enrolment Statistics Reports
    • Legislation
    • Freedom of Information
      • Making an Application
      • Information Statement
    • Public Interest Disclosures
    • Media
      • Media Releases
      • Latest News
      • State Elections Information
      • Election Rules
    • Resources
    • Special Inquiry
  • Enrol
    • Check Your Enrolment
    • Enrol to Vote
      • Enrolment for 16 year olds
    • Update Your Enrolment
    • Special Enrolment Categories
    • Local Government Enrolment
    • Removal from Electoral Roll
    • Access to Enrolment Information
    • Enrolment Statistics
      • State Enrolment Reports
      • Local Government Reports
  • Vote
    • Voting options
    • Voting in an Election
    • Elector Assistance
    • Election Night
    • Voting Systems in WA
    • Didn't Vote?
  • Electorates
    • Find Your Electorate
    • List of Streets
    • Electoral Boundary Review
  • Elections
    • State Elections
      • 2025 WA State Election
      • Past State Elections
      • Reports
    • Local government elections
      • 2025 Local government elections
      • Past Local government elections
      • Reports
      • List of Councils
    • Union and Other Elections
      • List of Organisations
    • State Referendums
      • Past Referendums
      • Reports
    • Voter Statistics
      • 2025 State General Election
      • 2023 Rockingham by-election
      • 2021 SGE
    • Returning Officers
  • Candidates and Parties
    • Local Government Candidates
    • Funding and Disclosure
      • Online Disclosure System
      • Political Parties
      • Members of Parliament
      • Third Party Campaigners
    • Forms and Guides
    • Registered Political Parties
      • Applications and Notices
      • Registering a Political Party
    • Nominations (State)
    • How-to-vote cards
    • Election Rules
    • Political Finance Reports
    • Returns and Reports
      • Election Returns
      • Annual Returns
      • Submitting a Return
      • Electoral Reimbursement
  • Education
    • Electoral Education Centre
  1. Home
  2. About Us
  3. Special Inquiry
Special Inquiry

About the Special Inquiry

On 2 April 2025 WA Premier Roger Cook MLA announced that a Special Inquiry would be conducted into concerns raised by voters, candidates and Members of both the WA and Australian Parliaments about the staffing and management of polling booths for the 2025 WA State Election which was held on Saturday 8 March.

The Inquiry was conducted in accordance with section 24H of the Public Sector Management Act 1994 and has a Terms of Reference.

The Honourable Malcolm McCusker AC CVO KC was appointed to carry out the Special Inquiry.

The Special Inquiry report was tabled in the Parliament of Western Australia on 12 August 2025. The Inquirer made 24 recommendations concerning planning, management and resourcing of polling booths, ballot paper management, processing and counting of votes and the response on election day as issues arose.

Government Response and The WA Electoral Commission's Response

The State Government is supportive of the report's findings and has provided its response to the recommendations contained within it. 

A formal response to the findings and recommendations of the Special Inquiry has been provided by the WA Electoral Commission (WAEC).

Read the WAEC response statement. To see the Government response and the WAEC response to each recommendation click here.

Areas of focus

The Hon David Michael MLA, Minister for Electoral Affairs, recently addressed Parliament with an update on progress implementing the Special Inquiry. The Minister's statement can be accessed here.

The WA Electoral Commission has begun work on a comprehensive reform program in response to the Special Inquiry recommendations.

The Commission's current areas of focus include:

  • Culture and accountability underpinned by collective leadership and the stabilisation of the leadership team
  • Organisational redesign to build a more accountable and future-ready Commission that is benchmarked with other jurisdictions
  • Considering lessons learned from the outsourcing of electoral functions and the optimal service delivery model
  • Partnering with the Department of Treasury and Finance to develop an ongoing funding model that supports the effective planning and delivery of elections

Recommendations

Oversight committee
Funding model
Public education
Recruitment of temporary workers
Temporary election workforce selection
Training of temporary election workers
Returning officer qualification
Polling resourcing rationale
Facilities at polling places
Early polling places
Ballot paper scanning

Acknowledgement of Country

The Western Australian Electoral Commission acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the land on which our electoral activities take place. We pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging.

 

Main menu

  • About Us
    • Customer Service
    • Working at the Commission
    • Making a payment
    • Publications
    • Legislation
    • Freedom of Information
    • Public Interest Disclosures
    • Media
    • Resources
    • Special Inquiry
  • Enrol
    • Check Your Enrolment
    • Enrol to Vote
    • Update Your Enrolment
    • Special Enrolment Categories
    • Local Government Enrolment
    • Removal from Electoral Roll
    • Access to Enrolment Information
    • Enrolment Statistics
  • Vote
    • Voting options
    • Voting in an Election
    • Elector Assistance
    • Voting Systems in WA
    • Election Night
    • Didn't Vote?
  • Electorates
    • Find Your Electorate
    • List of Streets
    • Electoral Boundary Review
  • Elections
    • State Elections
    • Local government elections
    • Union and Other Elections
    • State Referendums
    • Voter Statistics
    • Returning Officers
  • Candidates and Parties
    • Local Government Candidates
    • Funding and Disclosure
    • Forms and Guides
    • Registered Political Parties
    • Nominations (State)
    • How-to-vote cards
    • Election Rules
    • Political Finance Reports
    • Returns and Reports
  • Education
    • Electoral Education Centre
CONTACT US
Level 2, 66 St Georges Tce
Perth WA 6000
T: 13 63 06
(08) 9214 0400 for interstate callers
Email and other options
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn
COPYRIGHT © 2026 WESTERN AUSTRALIAN ELECTORAL COMMISSION
Level 2, 66 St Georges Tce, Perth WA 6000
T: 13 63 06
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email and other options

Footer menu

  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy
  • Copyright
back to top