The AEC has opened nomination for a by-election to fill a vacancy for one Tasmanian committee member for Yalukit Yulendj (AEU National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Committee), as well as SA, VIC, NSW and NT branch offices.

Click here to read the AEC’s full election notice.

Nominations close 5pm, 30 September 2026.

If a ballot is required, voting will open on 4 November 2026 and close at 5pm (AEST) on 9 December 2026.

How to Nominate:

• Key points:
  1. You can nominate via the AEC’s online portal or by emailing IEBnominations@aec.gov.au with the subject line “ANDJZ – E2026/122 – Nomination [Name of candidate]”
  2. Don’t forget to include a candidate statements and photo! Email attachments must not exceed 6 MB in total size. Candidate photos must be passport-size and no greater than 2 MB in size. Candidate statements must be in Microsoft Word format. Candidate statements must be 200 words or fewer per candidate and submitted by 5pm, 7 October 2026.

Nominations must be submitted either:

By portal: Visit the Australian Electoral Commission Portal at www.aec.gov.au/ieb. From this page, select “Access the electoral event portal,” then click “Current industrial elections.” Locate and select yourelection, then access the nomination documents.

By email: A fully completed nomination form, including all necessary signatures, may be scanned and emailed to IEBnominations@aec.gov.au.

Nomination forms may be submitted as PDF files, with each candidate’s form in a separate PDF. Candidate statements must be provided in Microsoft Word or RTF format, and photos (where applicable) should be submitted in JPG, JPEG, or TIF format.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION ON EMAILS:

Emails that appear to be spam may be blocked. It is the sender’s responsibility to ensure their nominationemail is delivered to the returning officer before the deadline. Emails and attachments must not exceed 6 MB in total size.

Full details and contacts can be found on the AEC’s website.

What’s involved?

Yalukit Yulendj – AEU National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Committee

Yalukit Yulendj not only advises to Aboriginal education and Torres Strait Islander education, it also promotes social justice and the process of Reconciliation between Aboriginal members and Torres Strait Islander members and non‑Aboriginal members and non-Torres Strait Islander members.

Yalukit Yulendj combines eight elected members from the General Division and eight elected members from TAFE Division, with each state and territory branch or associate body allocated one position from each division.

Originally known as the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Committees (General and TAFE Divisions), in July 2012 the committees requested discussions with the appropriate Elders from the Kulin Nation to rename the committees using a local language to reflect the role of the committees and the AEU, as well as recognising the diversity and skills of the members.

As the AEU Federal Office is on Boon Wurrung land, discussions with the Boon Wurrung Elders Foundation in May 2013 took place to research an appropriate name to reflect the role and membership of the committee. Aunty Carolyn Briggs of the Boon Wurrung Elders Foundation provided options for the name. The members of the committee voted and decided upon Yalukit Yulendj, meaning ‘people of knowledge’ in Boon Wurrung language.