I know it sounds weird how 1200+ ballot papers could go missing. I can see how easy it can happen. I worked at a polling booth which can stay nameless in Victoria for the last Federal election. We spent nearly two hours looking for 1000+ senate papers just in our booth! This is a very big paper pile after the papers have been scrunched up in a ballot box. They were found in an obscure location away from the rest of the papers. We put in a lot of time, scouring the polling place AND re-counting all the papers till the count was reconciled and the missing papers found and accounted for. Because of a lack of bench space and the size of all the ballot piles, I suspect the 'missing' papers had been re-located in good faith to what turned out to be an obscure location that was forgotten.
As an aside it's an interesting process opening, sorting and doing the initial ballot counts and accounting for all the papers delivered to the booth. You wouldn't do it for the pay, but the people and general experience is great.
