CANBERRA: The Australian Electoral Commission – a Canberra-based outfit charged with  conducting and supervising federal elections, by-elections and referendums – is on the hunt for extra staff as it preps for major changes to the way Aussies vote.

It is looking to hire 20 new developers, engineers, analysts and other IT specialists who will help set up the new system over the next two years.

The immediate aim is to overhaul and replace current systems with a system that offers stronger protection from cyberattacks and (hopefully) ease of use. But the replacement system won’t involve online voting – the Government knocked that idea on the head two years ago.