THE apparent return of Clover Moore for a record sixth term as City of Sydney Mayor is among the highlight of NSW local council elections on Saturday.
After the elections on Saturday, ballot counting resumed today after a break for electoral staff, the NSW AEC confirmed.
Acting NSW Electoral Commissioner Dr Matthew Phillips said counting had begun as soon as polling places closed on Saturday with results progressively published on the NSW Electoral Commission’s website.
“Our staff will have a very long day today after starting early and are about to start a long night of counting. In line with our work health and safety principles, staff will get a well-deserved break tomorrow before counting resumes on Monday,” said Dr Phillips.
“Our staff will have a very long day after starting early and are about to start a long night of counting. In line with our work health and safety principles, staff will get a well-deserved break before counting resumes on Monday,” said Dr Phillips.
The chaotic absence of NSW Liberal Party candidates was a lowlight of the elections; the party’s failure to register candidates saw 14 councils out of 128 appoint nominees unopposed. All but one of the affected councils is in regional NSW.
Local Government NSW president Darriea Turley told the ABC that a lack of democratic process should not be construed as weak local councils.
She says reasons why uncontested areas were almost exclusively regional included factors such as a lack of local media alerting residents and lower rates of pay for regional councillors.
Votes returned to the ballots for the Central Coast, Wingecarribee Shire and Balranald Shire councils who all came out of administration.
The councils were placed under the control of an administrator by the former government due to performance and governance related issues.
The Central Coast Council was suspended in October 2020 and later dismissed after a public inquiry. Wingecarribee Shire’s councillors were suspended in March 2021 and later dismissed after a public inquiry as was in Balranald Shire, under administration since January 2020.
To ensure the newly elected councillors are supported in the transition out of administration, a ministerial performance improvement order is in effect for 12 months.
The count cannot be concluded until all postal votes have returned to the Electoral Commissioner, according to the NSW Electoral Commission (NSWEC). The deadline for return is 6pm on Friday, September 27.
When all the votes have been counted, the official announcement of the elections result will be declared in writing. Results will be declared from October 1-3, the NSW EC says.
