Federal Election Facts and Foibles – 08 March 2022 – Ian Brightwell
This talk will give a quick overview of the Australian federal election in terms of size and processes. This information will provide a basis for a closer examination of the processes which are under strain and those which are undergoing change. The talk will particularly look at the increased use of computers in counting of senate votes and the difficulties this poses to traditional partisan scrutiny processes.
Ian Brightwell is a consultant and experienced CIO. He has also held an adjunct academic position at the University of NSW in cyber security and also developed and presented a post graduate course in IT Governance for Charles Stuart University. He was the CIO for the NSW Electoral Commission (NSWEC) in Australia from 2005 to April 2016 and responsible for developing all its technology and cyber security during that period. Prior to that position he was a consultant performing a variety of consulting assignments, within state and federal government agencies and the private sector.
In his role at NSWEC he was responsible for the development and operation of the iVote system which in 2015 was credited as taking the largest number of remote internet votes for a parliamentary election in the world.
The meeting will be held at Piato Restaurant 123 Blues Point Road, McMahons Point at 7:00 am for 7:15 a.m. start. We finish promptly at 8:30 a.m. At about 7:30 a.m., Ian will talk for about 30 minutes, followed by questions and breakfast is served during the talk.