MARANOA Regional Council have welcomed an independent review into the Electoral Commission of Queensland to examine the effectiveness of how Queensland elections are conducted.

The State Government- issued review will look at this year’s Local Government elections, the four-year fixed term referendum and the recent Toowoomba South by-election.

Attorney-General Yvette D’Ath said the review presented an opportunity to learn how elections in Queensland can be conducted more effectively.

“Elections are the most fundamental component of our democracy, the chance for Queenslanders to have their say on how we are governed,” Mrs D’Ath said.

“After every election, there’s an opportunity to look back on how things are done and to examine which parts of the system work well, and which can be improved.

“We want to ensure we have an efficient system that voters have faith in, and one that’s in line with modern capabilities.”

The Attorney-General will appoint a panel of three members to oversee the review, which will be completed in three months.

During the Maranoa Local Government election, the ECQ came under fire from locals over its handling of the postal vote system.

Maranoa Regional Council Deputy Mayor Jan Chambers welcomed the review, stating there needed to be clarification into whether people received their postal votes on time.

“It’s good to see a review is happening. I’ve always been supportive of postal voting in our region,” she said.

“The distribution of postal votes is something that needs to be looked at, so people can receive them on time.”

Former candidate Ray Howson had previously criticised the ECQ’s handling of the postal voting system, calling it an “absolute stuff-up of a job” when the votes were being finalised in March.

“There [were] still issues of people not receiving their postal votes... the current process with the ECQ has been skewed,” he said.