Wave of arrivals on roll

THE massive wave of newcomers that now call the Far North home has been reflected in the number of voters enrolled to vote in the May federal election.

Almost 40,000 more people have enrolled to vote across the seats of Leichhardt and Kennedy for the 2022 poll compared to the last federal election in 2019.

On Thursday, the Australian Electoral Commission reported the Leichhardt electorate had 117,284 registered voters, up 21,339, while the Kennedy electorate had signed up 18,542 more to record 114,486 registered voters, before the enrol-to-vote deadline on Monday night.

A spokesman for the Australian Electoral Commission said on Monday it was a record day for enrolments in the country’s history, with 214,000 applications received before the electoral rolls closed at 8pm.

Electoral commissioner Tom Rogers said more than 96 per cent of eligible Australians were enrolled to vote.