Circulars

What’s new or changing

• Under section 296AA of the Local Government Act 1993 (the Act), councils are required to make a decision on how their ordinary elections in September 2024 are to be administered by 13 March 2023.
• Each council must resolve either:
  • to enter into an election arrangement with the NSW Electoral Commissioner (NSWEC) to administer all the council’s elections, polls and constitutional referenda or
  • that the council’s elections are to be administered by another electoral services provider engaged by the council.
• If a council does not resolve to engage the NSWEC to administer its elections by 13 March 2023, it must engage another electoral services provider to do so.

What this will mean for your council

• Councils are required to make a decision under section 296AA by 13 March 2023 on the administration of their next ordinary election. Information to assist councils in making that decision is provided in the attached FAQ.
• If a council is proposing to engage the NSWEC to administer its elections, it should resolve to do so as soon as possible and notify the NSWEC.

Key points

• Where councils resolve to engage the NSWEC to administer their elections, polls and referenda, a model resolution is suggested in the attached FAQ.
• If a council resolves to adopt an electoral services provider other than the NSWEC, the resolution must state whether the general manager has identified an electoral services provider to be engaged for the next ordinary election and, if so, the name of that provider.

Where to go for further information

• Further information to assist councils’ decisions on the administration of their September 2024 ordinary elections is contained in the FAQ attached to this circular.
• Contact the Office of Local Government’s Council Governance Team by telephone on 02 4428 4100 or by email at olg@olg.nsw.gov.au.
• Contact Steve Robb at the NSW Electoral Commission by telephone on 1300 135 736.