Melbourne, Brisbane to Miss Out on Polls
Migrant Groups Outraged

Melbourne will miss out on Absentee Voting Polls according to the Philippines Commission on Elections.

"We are unable to approve the proposals for field voting due to budgetary constraints and the need to promote fiscal discipline in the conduct of the overseas absentee voting, " according to Comelec Commissioner Florentino Tuason in reply to request from the Philippine Embassy in Canberra to conduct field voting in Melbourne and Brisbane.

Approved voters in Melbourne and Brisbane may have to travel to Canberra to cast their votes.

Migrante Melbourne expressed their concern and have called on the Embassy to put an additional pressure to Comelec to reverse their decision.

George Kotsakis, Chairperson of Migrante Melbourne said that by denying Filipinos in Melbourne and Brisbane the convenience of their rights to suffrage, newly reborn Filipinos felt short changed, used and made to rethink that this government is not for the people.

"Those Filipinos who are qualified to vote but are currently residing in Melbourne cannot vote because the Embassy cannot field a polling place in Melbourne. The Philippine government wants us to belong yet we are being denied our rights. It is showing to our community that this government disregard its very own people."

"We call on the Philippine government to field an office for the purpose of absentee voting in Melbourne and Brisbane. We demand that dual citizens be allowed to exercise rights to suffrage without prejudice" said Mr Kotsakis

The Philippine Embassy in Canberra successfully conducted an outreach in Melbourne and Brisbane when registration opened for dual citizenship and absentee voting in September 2003.

Melbourne is host to the second largest Filipino population (around 30,000) in Australia after Sydney.

For further information contact: George Kotsakis Migrante Melbourne (03) 9360 0065 email: melbourne@migrante.org.au

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