Verify your nomination
If you have received a call from the apolitical party saying your name has come up, you can verify that the call is genuine by entering the 8-digit code the caller read to you.
You are under no obligation to do anything at this stage. This check simply confirms the call was real. Your decision about whether to accept comes after — and you have time to think about it.
It means the call was genuine — your name was selected from the AEC electoral roll by the mechanism described on our details page. You are not committed to anything. The code simply confirms the call was not a scam or a prank.
If you are interested in proceeding, the next step is a conversation with the party coordinator. They will explain what is involved — the commitment package, the tenure, what serving actually looks like — and you can ask any questions you have. You have a few days before any formal commitment is required.
If you want to decline, simply say so. Nothing is made public until you formally accept. There is no public record of your name in connection with the nomination at this stage.
Acceptance — you record a short video and sign a resignation letter. From this point, your nomination is public — we announce it, and it's worth celebrating. If you're confident you meet section 44 and you're willing to serve, there's no reason to stay out of view while the formalities catch up. Both the video and letter are held in encrypted form in a public directory — publicly downloadable but unreadable until the mechanism releases the decryption key. You will have several weeks to resolve any eligibility questions, including dual citizenship, before state parliament formally confirms your credentials.
Confirmation — the relevant state parliament verifies your eligibility under section 44 of the Constitution. This happens in public, as parliamentary business always does. If you were confident going into acceptance, this is expected to be a formality rather than a hurdle — the announcement already happened; this simply makes it official.
Eligibility — once the senate sits on any day after your confirmation, you are eligible for rotation. You do not need to attend that sitting — your tenure simply overlaps with it.
Rotation — at some point on a Saturday night, the XLotto draw will trigger your rotation. The mechanism publishes the decryption key for your resignation letter. Section 19 of the Constitution takes effect. You return to private life. The timing is determined by the same lottery that selected you — nobody, including you, knows exactly when it will happen.
Until then — you are a senator. You vote freely. No whip. No faction. No career to protect. Your judgment is your own.
If you have questions about the process, the mechanism, or what serving would involve, use the enquiry form or ask the coordinator who contacted you.
"Your seat at our nation's table." — we mean that literally.