> What is the purpose of this ballot?
The ballot allows employees (eligible voters) to vote on whether they approve the proposed Enterprise Agreement, by voting YES or NO.
> How will the voting be conducted?
Voting will be conducted electronically, via any one of the following methods, depending on how the employer has set up the ballot (eligible voters will find that information in the BALLOT NOTICE provided to them at the start of the access period):
The ballot allows employees (eligible voters) to vote on whether they approve the proposed Enterprise Agreement, by voting YES or NO.
| SMS | An SMS message from +61 488 863 259 received by you on your mobile phone with the ballot question, to which you reply with your vote of Y for Yes or N for No. |
| Online | An email from ad***@ba*******.au received by you, with a unique voter link to an online ballot page where you cast your vote by selecting YES or NO. |
| Telephone | A dial in voting system, requiring voters to enter their unique voter credentials before being permitted to vote by pressing 1# for YES or 2# for NO. |
The ballot allows employees (eligible voters) to vote on whether they approve the proposed Enterprise Agreement, by voting YES or NO.
> When will the voting period start and end?
Eligible voters will find that information in the BALLOT NOTICE provided to them at the start of the access period for the vote. Votes can only be cast during the voting window. Votes cast after the close of the ballot will not be counted.
> Is my vote confidential?
Yes. Votes are collected and stored securely by IR BLOTS using our propriety software. At no stage will individual votes be disclosed to anyone.
At the close of voting a certified ballot report will be produced by IR BLOTS, indicating the number of eligible voters who cast a valid vote, and of those the number who voted ’Yes’ and the number who voted ‘No’. The report will be certified by IR BLOTS.
> Can I change my vote after submission?
No. Once your vote is cast or submitted, it cannot be changed.
> Can I vote more than once?
No. Only one valid vote will be recorded for each eligible voter. If multiple votes are attempted, only the first valid submission will be counted as your vote.
> How will I know if my vote has been validly submitted?
| SMS | If your SMS vote has been validly submitted, it will appear in your SMS history just like any other text message you successfully send. If the SMS fails to send, your mobile device will denote a ‘send failure’ message just like any other text message send failure. If that happens, you should resubmit your vote. Any response other than Y or N will be an invalid vote, and you will receive an SMS from +61 488 863 259 to inform you that your vote is invalid, and inviting you to reply Y for Yes or N for No. |
| Online | When you click ‘confirm’ to submit your vote online, you will push through to a page confirming that your vote has been cast. You can click through to see a receipt for your vote which details the time and date of your vote, a unique receipt number, the method of your vote and how you voted. After you have voted, you can access your voting receipt anytime by clicking on your unique voter link which will take you to your unique voter portal. |
| Telephone | A dial in voting system, requiring voters to enter their unique voter credentials before being permitted to vote by pressing 1# for YES or 2# for NO. |
> What is the Pre-Ballot Test?
The Pre-Ballot Test is a verification process run a few days before the ballot using a TEST message to ensure that your mobile number and email address are correct in our system and able to receive the ballot message. This ensures you receive the SMS and/or email when the ballot opens.
> How do I know if my contact details are correct?
If you receive a test SMS saying:
“This is a TEST for your upcoming EA Ballot. DO NOT REPLY to this message.”
✅ Your mobile number is correct and able to receive the ballot message. No further action is needed.
If you receive a test email from ad***@ba*******.au with the subject “Pre-Ballot Test”
✅ Your email address is correct and able to receive the ballot message. No further action is needed
If you don’t receive the pre ballot test message, this means that your mobile number or email may need to be updated by your employer, or may not be able to receive the ballot message.
You should immediately call or email your employer contact to update your mobile number or email or ensure settings on your accounts are such that the ballot message will be received. A second pre ballot test will be sent to any updated phone or email accounts until you receive the pre ballot test.
You should also ensure that the mobile number +61 488 863 259 and email address ‘ad***@ba*******.au’ is whitelisted and the pre ballot TEST message is not in your ‘spam/ junk’ folder.
> How will you know that the ballot results are accurate?
The IR BLOTS system logs each valid vote and will tally the Y votes and the N votes when the ballot closes.
The IR BLOTS system also produces an audit log of all activity associated with each ballot.
The IR BLOTS Balloting Officer will review the system tally and audit log to check the accuracy of the ballot result and produce a certified ballot report with the outcome of the ballot.
IR BLOTS maintains security over our electronic database, which is hosted in Australia by AWS, through best practice IT controls and data protection measures including the Essential Eight mitigation strategies and:
- Multi Factor Authentication;
- Frequent employee cyber safety training and testing;
- Routine penetration testing;
- Firewall configured to actively block threats;
- SSL certification and TSL 1.3 and AES256 encryption;
- DNS filters on all devices;
- Password encryption and minimum length and complexity requirements;
- Our website and IT systems use encryption to ensure the secure transmission of information via the internet.
> What should I do if I experience technical issues while voting?
If you require any assistance or encounter any problems while voting, please contact Mary Rose Ilagan, Balloting Officer at IR BLOTS on 07 3225 3710 or ma******@ir*****.au.
Alternatively, you may contact the employer contact nominated in the Ballot Notice.
> Will my personal information remain confidential?
Yes. Your personal information will be managed in accordance with the Australian Privacy Principles. We destroy information that we no longer require (or are not required by law to retain) within 6 months. We store the Voter List for a PAB for 7 years as required by the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth).
To view IR BLOTS privacy policy, visit www.irblots.com.au/privacy-policy.
Download the IR BLOTS EA Ballot FAQs here.
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