Sydney: Hundreds of thousands of Australians who did not vote in last year's federal election have paid over 4 million Australian dollars ($2.78 million) in penalties, Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported on Thursday.

According to Anadolu Agency, the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) issued notices to more than 1.3 million people for their "apparent failure to vote" in the 2025 polls. Voting is compulsory in Australia, and those who do not fulfill their civic duty face a 20-dollar administrative penalty or a fine up to 330 dollars in court.

Around 90% of eligible Australians participated in the 2025 election. As of May, 207,000 people had elected to pay the 20-dollar administrative penalty, contributing approximately $4.15 million to the federal government's consolidated revenue fund.

The commission will not penalize more than 250,000 non-voters as they have provided a "valid and sufficient" reason for not casting their ballot. However, some 710,000 electors have not responded to their apparent failure to vote notice by the relevant deadline.