Local Elections 2024: Your explainer for Mosman and North Sydney LGAs.
By ANNA USHER
Local government elections are held in NSW every four years on the second Saturday in September.
Residents of Mosman and North Sydney LGAs will head to the polls on September 14.
The point of these elections is to choose representatives to our local councils.
We want our community to get informed and get involved in shaping the future of the lower north shore.
What do you want to ask our local candidates? What are the biggest issues in your neighbourhood? Do you have concerns about roads, rates, rubbish, parking rangers, parking charges or tree vandalism? Now is the time to HAVE YOUR SAY.
I will endeavour to have your questions answered – please email them to me [email protected].
What are local government elections?
About 125 councils in NSW will head into the elections on September 14, with an estimated 1240 councillors state wide, set to be elected.
There are two types of local government areas: divided and undivided.
An undivided council is one with no wards and all councillors are elected by all the voters within the LGA, such as Mosman Council.
A divided council is one that splits up the LGA into wards, with an equal number of councillors elected for each ward such as North Sydney (Cammeraygal and St Leonards Ward)
Once elected, councillors will serve a four-year term with the number of councillors varying from council to council.
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How can I find my electorate?
If you have moved recently, you can check your enrolment details on the NSW Elections website.
You can also search your street address on the sites data base, which will reveal which council area you belong to.
Voting is compulsory in Australia and enables you to choose who represents you in federal, state and local governments. You only need to enrol once with the Australian Electoral Commission to vote for all three levels of government.
What happens if I don’t vote?
Just like the state and federal elections, voting in LGA elections is compulsory for residents over 18.
Residents who don’t vote in NSW face a $55 fine and have to respond within 28 days of the issued notice. The NSWEC will send out a formal “apparent failure to vote notice” in the post after election day.
This notice requires you to respond with a reason as to why you did not vote, with a delegate deciding whether your reason is valid.
So who is running?
Mosman Municipal Council was established on 11 April 1893. It holds 21,125 electors and occupies an area of 8.5 square kilometres. This is an undivided council served by seven councillors including a Mayor and Deputy Mayor.
Four candidates are running for the position of Mayor.
Ann Marie Kimber (Serving Mosman)
Roy Bendall (Independent)
John Wakefield (Labor)
Simon Menzies (Independent)
Kimber, Bendall, Wakefield and Menzies are also running as the number one candidates in groups nominated for ordinary council seats: this way, if their groups win enough votes, they are almost guaranteed to win a seat.
There are five groups of councillor candidates.
Group A (Independent): Simon Menzies, Libby Moline, Katalin Kiss.
Group B (Independent): Roy Bendall, Jacqui Willoughby, Alessandro Marturano, Miranda Barclay, Kim Blackburne.
Group C (Greens): Colleen Godsell, Oliver Godsell, Rith Marshall.
Group D (Serving Mosman): Ann Marie Kimber, Carolyn Corrigan, Michael Randall, Pip Friedrich, Harley Van Der Plujim.
Group E (Labor): John Wakefield, Alyson Wills, Ken Yates.
North Sydney – Cammeraygal Ward
Group A (Sustainable Australia Party/Stop Over Development/Corruption): Sarah Siew-Ling Kok, Bob Eggleton, Peter Moore, Mark Marsi, Anne Lytle.
Group B (Independent): Maryann Beregi, Katherine Richmond, Ian Grey, Estelle Blair, Jillian Christie.
Group C (The Greens): Angus Hoy, Christopher Eddleston, Andrew Assaee, Graham Healy, Fuchsia Sims.
Group D (Labor): Shannon Welch, Travis Velingos, Christopher Lake, Merilyn Alt, Mathew Campbell.
Group E (Independent): Peter Noble, Ian Mutton, Joan Street, Julie Lee, Conway Restom.
Group F (Liberal): Jessica Keen, Efi Carr, Bryson Constable, Andrew Skinner, Hunter Wardman.
Group G (Independent): Pallavi Sinha, Strephon Billinghurst, Leonie Rothwell, Craig Black, Harshita Jyoto, Rajeswari Swaminathan.
North Sydney – St Leonards Ward
Group A (Independent): Zoe Baker, Chriistopher Holding, Nicole Antonini, Diana Davidson, Rebecca McDonald.
Group B (Independent): James Spenceley, Daniel Whitford, Felicity Gardner, Deon Ludick, Christopher Neville.
Group C (Sustainable Australia Party – Stop Overdevelopment/Corruption): Michael Want, William Bourke, Susan Kitchener, John Heathers, Enzo Smith.
Group D (Labor): Godfrey Santer, Jade Tyrrell, Rayna Brown, Julie Newton, Olivia Lee.
How does voting work?
Just like state and federal elections, candidates encourage voters to vote above the line. Once a particular party has at least 25 per cent of the overall votes, the first candidate on their party’s ticket will be on the council.
From there, it works to the next party with the highest number of votes. By voting above the line, you are voting for all candidates in that grouped ticket.
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