Inquiry established for council elections

Council elections could be set for a shake-up under proposed new legislation currently before NSW Parliament.

The Local Government Amendment (Elections) Bill 2025 is also subject to a NSW Upper House inquiry.

The bill proposes a number of amendments to the Local Government Act 1993 and the Local Government (General) Regulation 2021.

This includes a requirement that all local council elections be administered by the NSW Electoral Commissioner only, effectively prohibiting the use of private electoral service providers to administer elections.

Gunnedah Shire Council has previously scolded the state government for the exorbitant cost of running local government elections. Gunnedah council said it could save ratepayers tens of thousands of dollars by running its own election instead of outsourcing to the NSW Electoral Commission.

Additionally, the bill proposes reducing the pre-poll period for local council elections to five days and introduces a requirement for local council polling places to be located within the council’s local government area. The bill also includes a requirement that council vacancies be filled by candidates from the same group as a vacating councillor.

Chair of the Standing Committee on State Development, the Hon Emily Suvaal MLC, said that: “The changes proposed in this bill have been introduced to address identified issues relating to council elections, and seek to make the process more streamlined, straight forward and accessible”.

“The committee wants to hear from individuals and organisations who would be impacted by these changes, including political parties and candidates. This inquiry will ensure any issues or concerns about the proposed legislation can be adequately considered and addressed during debate”.