Inverell Shire Council will oppose one of the four proposed amendments to the Local Government Act.
The Bill proposes a requirement that all local Council elections be administered by the NSW Electoral Commission, reducing the pre-poll period for elections to five days, requirement for all polling places to be located within the Council’s local government area, and a requirement that council vacancies be filled by candidates from the same group as a vacating councillor.
Inverell Shire Mayor Kate Dight says often in rural and regional areas grouping of candidates at local government elections is not prevalent, hence, if the option to replace ungrouped candidates by countback is removed, this would place a significant financial impost upon Councils by forcing them to hold costly by-elections.
Mayor Dight says they will strongly object to the removal of the current provisions in the Local Government Act to provide for countback elections to fill casual vacancies created by ungrouped candidates.
