Coronavirus: call to delay NSW Local Government elections in September
Under a plan touted by the state Opposition, the NSW local government elections could be delayed by up to a year, in an effort to contain coronavirus.
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NSW Local Government Elections will be delayed by 12 months — with possible further extensions until December 2021 — under emergency legislation introduced by the NSW Government today.
This week, NewsLocal reported on a campaign to delay millions of voters from going to the polls in September for the NSW Local Government Elections had been launched, following fears mass voting could increase the spread of coronavirus.
All but two councils across the state were scheduled to go to the polls for local government elections on Saturday, September 12, with ballots for candidates expected to be drawn on August 13.
However, the spread of coronavirus has local government representatives and Shadow Local Government representative Greg Warren calling for the elections to be postponed to “ensure public health and safety for both the community and those contesting the elections”.
Mr Warren said NSW Labor would support a decision from the government to delay the vote by six months, or hold elections in March 2021.
“This is an essential and sensible solution,” Mr Warren said.
“It is not about taking away the democratic right of NSW residents to vote for their council representatives, this is simply about prioritising the health and safety of communities throughout our state.
“Aside from the obvious risks posed by mass gatherings, the risks posed by and to candidates while out and about could also compromise the health and safety of many in communities across NSW.”
On Monday March 23, a spokesman for Local Government Minister Shelley Hancock told NewsLocal no decision has been made on the postponement of elections, however by Tuesday special legislation was being introduced to delay elections.
“The Minister … and the Office of Local Government regularly meet with the NSW Electoral Commission to provide advice to the Government,” the spokesman said.
“The NSW Government will continue to respond to COVID-19 based on the advice of health and other experts.”
This isn’t the first time local government elections have been delayed, with the government deferring elections in 2016 for the forced amalgamation process.
A LGNSW spokesman said the minister can only postpone an election for up to 12 months in specific circumstances, “on a council-by-council basis”.
“These specific circumstances are limited to cases in which the council is subject of an investigation, a public enquiry, or if its boundaries are being considered by the Boundaries Commission,” he said.
“To date, the immediate focus of all levels of government has been on preventing the spread of the COVID-19 virus while continuing the day-to-day delivery of services to the community.
“NSW’s upcoming local government elections are definitely part of forward planning, but the complexities involved in both holding or postponing them in this rapidly-evolving situation are still being unpacked.”