NSW regional council elections 2024: Results, updates and latest news
The mayor of Australia’s tourism gem – currently facing assault allegations – is staring down a thumping loss, while Newcastle’s mayor is in the fight of her political life. See how council election tallies are looking across regional NSW.
Regional News
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Council candidates vying for a vote were out and about across regional NSW polling booths as housing, cost of living and hot topic hyperlocal issues emerged as key election concerns.
Check out the latest on the 2024 NSW Local Government elections from the regions as Saturday’s live coverage comes to a close.
Northern NSW
Independents impress as voters dodge Lyon
Most northern NSW mayors fighting for re-election will keep their roles in the wake of NSW council elections - but the lion’s share of Byron voters bypassed sitting Mayor Michael Lyon as he faces charges in court.
It’s clear to see independent candidates have been a favourite among voters in the north of the state, however, independent Mr Lyon’s loss paves the way for the Greens in Byron.
In Lismore, independent and current Mayor Steve Krieg strongly led the charge for city mayor when NSW Electoral Commission counting stopped at 10pm at 48.17 per cent.
He was followed by Green Vanessa Ekins on 21.25 per cent and Labor’s Harper Dalton-Earls on 13.83 – trailed narrowly by independent Big Rob on 12.05.
In Byron, independent Mr Lyon – the beleaguered head of the tourism town, who has been fighting domestic violence allegations - managed just 17.29 per cent. Green and current Deputy Mayor Sarah Ndiaye had 34.71 per cent of the vote at close of counting, and Labor’s Asren Pugh had 30.37 per cent. Independent David Warth surprised at 17.63 per cent – topping Mr Lyon.
Ballina Shire’s current Mayor Sharon Cadwallader is safe as houses in the coastal LGA – she had 45.08 per cent of the first preference mayoral vote at close of counting. The independent head of the council was followed up by Green Kiri Dicker on 25.79 per cent and Labor’s Andrew Broadley on 10.71 per cent.
In Richmond Valley, current independent Mayor Robert Mustow is a clear winner with 38.93 per cent of the vote. He was followed by independent Lyndall Murray on 27.17 per cent and John Walker managed 17.10 per cent of overall support.
Independent Nikki Williams is looking to snatch the City of Coffs Harbour mayoralty from independent Paul Amos. Contender Ms Williams drew a whopping 32.53 per cent to the current mayor’s 24.58 per cent. Another independent, Tegan Swan, polled a distant third place at 9.87 per cent.
Port Macquarie-Hastings is set to have a new mayor in independent Adam Roberts, who closed out the count with 36.04 per cent. Fellow independent Nik Lipovac trailed on 24.09 per cent and Green Lauren Edwards nabbed 22.97 per cent.
Independent Kinne Ring is looking to take the mayoral title in Kempsey Shire with 24.68 per cent of the vote, compared to another independent, Simon Fergusson, on 22.95 per cent and Green Arthur Bain on 21.24 per cent.
Nambucca Valley will get a new mayor and it looks to be independent Gary Lee as counting closes. He mustered 39.56 per cent of the vote, versus Labor’s Susan Jenvey on 23.98 per cent and independent Ljubov Simson’s 20.95 per cent.
In, Bellingen, sitting independent Mayor Steve Allan is comfortable at 68.04 per cent, trailed by Green Dominic King on 31.96 per cent.
Not all northern NSW local governments elect mayors. There’s almost 130 local councils in NSW in total and only 40 have publicly elected heads.
Byron Shire
Byron Mayor torn up over evening tally
Embattled Byron Shire Mayor Michael Lyon told NewsLocal he was feeling defeated about early polling results as two contenders stared down the title.
“It’s an absolute disaster for me at the moment,” he said.
“The Greens are smashing it and I’m extremely surprised that (independent) candidate David Warth is getting so many votes.
“To be honest, my initial results are so bad that I’m not sure I’ll even get on council this time around, let alone mayor.
“The results have been pretty poor so far but not wholly unexpected.”
Meanwhile, family and friends gathered around Byron mayoral candidate Asren Pugh (Labor) at The Bowlo Bangalow on Saturday night.
According to the mayoral councillor tally as of 9pm, Mr Pugh was coming second with 30.32 per cent of the vote, while current Deputy Mayor Sarah Ndiaye (the Greens) led at 35.10 per cent and David Warth (independent) had third at 17.16 per cent of the cote. Mr Lyon had 17.41 per cent of the mayoral vote.
At the Bowlo, Mr Pugh wore a red Labor T-shirt and said, if elected, the top two issues he wants to tackle is to complete the rail trail and begin conversations about social housing in the Byron Shire.
“We’ve started conversations with the NSW Housing Minister Rose Jackson, they’ve got $5.1b to spend on building social housing,” he said.
“We’ve got to do the work locally to find where some of that can go here, get plans together and then get into her office and get that money spent here.”
Mr Pugh thanked the community and said he is excited for a new council and reflected on his time campaigning.
“It’s a time when you get to engage with the community which is really exciting but it’s also a lot of work,” he said.
“It’s actually a real privilege to be in a position where you can listen to the concerns, the hopes, the dreams and the aspirations of our community and hopefully be in a position where you can do something about that.”
Mr Pugh said people put a lot of trust into him with their vote.
Ms Ndiaye said the Greens had been doing really well in the region.
“It looks like we’ve had a really positive swing back towards the Greens,” she said.
“We won’t know for a while but what we do know is we’ve run an incredibly positive campaign.
“It’s been historic, we’ve got the youngest person on council ever. We’ll have the first traditional owner on council, most likely. It just depends on how the mayoral vote falls from here.”
Ms Ndiaye said if elected mayor, she wanted to lead a compassionate and cooperative council that worked to each other’s strengths.
“I want to make sure we get as much done for the community in the next four years – preserving the natural environment, supporting our creative industries and our businesses,” she said.
Ms Ndiaye said she would welcome more public, social and affordable housing to the shire with open arms.
“Unfortunately the Federal government hasn’t put a single dollar towards public housing and we don’t have a single public housing dwelling in the shire when we have a Prime Minister who has grown up in public housing,” she said.
“Council has been doing everything it can and we will continue to and we hope we can help the state and federal government deliver on all their promises to provide more housing for the community at a more affordable rate.
Ms Ndiaye thanked volunteers and her fellow candidates
“Whatever happens I feel like we’ve really done well. I hope we get a chance to show what great leaders we can be in our community,” she said.
Lake Macquarie
Schultz announces victory
Following in the footsteps of his Labor counterpart, Adam Schultz will be the next Lake Macquarie mayor after he declared the win late Saturday night.
Councillor Schultz recorded 35 per cent and more than 32,000 votes, well ahead of his nearest rivals Liberal Melody Harding and Lake Mac independent Kate Warner, who both managed to draw about 20 per cent of the vote.
But thanks to preferences with the Greens and independent Rosmairi Dawson, Mr Schultz was able to claim the win for the top job which he’ll be officially starting in October at the next council meeting.
“Ecstatic, really looking forward to the next four years and the challenge ahead, I believe I can hit the ground running having served for the last eight years and deputy in 2022 and 2023,” he said.
Right now Mr Schultz said there are a number of issues that currently needed to be addressed and he’ll be working hard to do that.
“The Hunter Sports Centre which is under construction hoping to finish that in the early new year,” he added.
“(A) new learn to swim pool at West Wallsend pool – it has been on the horizon for a long time and it will be great to bring that to fruition, we’ve got East Lake Macquarie recycling centre as well.”
The new Lake Macquarie Mayor also wants to run a housing forum.
“Once I get my feet under the desk if we could have a housing forum where by we bring development industry, housing providers, unions, key politicians and key local organisations to see how we think collaboratively and how we can differentiate Lake Macquarie from the other 127 LGAs around the state,” he said.
Mr Schultz will take the reigns from Labor’s Kay Fraser, who was elected mayor in 2016 and has been on council since 2004 before deciding to retire this year.
Tweed Shire
Local favourite Owen battles it out with Tweed’s top lady.
Current Tweed Shire Mayor Chris Cherry and popular Liberal candidate James Owen – a mayoral hopeful – are going head-to-head for councillor positions amid the latest polling results in the local government elections.
At 9.30pm on Saturday, Mr Owen was narrowly surpassing Ms Cherry for the pole position with a solid 19.83 per cent of the vote. Ms Cherry was sitting on 19.24 per cent.
The Tweed mayoral position is not a public popularly elected vote and is voted by sitting council, so when that call is made it’s safe to say there will be fireworks.
Mr Owen is visibly immensely popular with locals and has campaigned hard in the lead up to this election.
Other candidates performing strongly at the latest tally time were Greens candidate Nola Firth with 13.62 per cent of the vote, Labor councillor Reece Byrnes with 13.50 per cent of the vote and current deputy mayor Meredith Dennis with 10.63 per cent of the vote.
Newcomers and first-time candidates Brady Turner and Colin Usher were seeing quite lukewarm numbers with 4.90 per cent and 2.75 per cent of the vote, respectively.
Mr Owen told this publication the current tally was a strong indication both he and fellow Liberal Councillor Rhiannon Brinsmead would be re-elected.
“I’m thrilled with the results so far but there are still a few big booths coming from Pottsiville and Casuarina,” Mr Owen said.
Clarence Valley
Voters across the Clarence Valley – 41,895 or so people from Grafton to Yamba, Brooms Head and Ulmarra – have lodged their vote in the NSW council elections – and several hopefuls have come out on top of the count on Saturday evening.
Independents Cristie Yager and Peter Johnstone and current Green councillor Greg Clancy lead the charge on 16.63, 10.46 and 10.09 per cent of the vote at 10pm, respectively, while Shane Causley managed 7.7 per cent of the vote.
Ms Yager did not respond by deadline when approached by this publication for comment ahead of the election – but she looks safe to get a seat on Clarence Valley Council.
In a Facebook post which begins with “So you want to know who I am?”, Ms Yager described herself as “‘a 5th generation local, my children are the 6th”.
“The Clarence valley isn’t just where I live. It is where I belong. It is my home and I want to protect it. I want my children and grandchildren to have a future here. To live, work and play in the valley long after I am gone,” she wrote.
“I feel passionate about leaving our productive rural lands, beaches, villages and towns in a way that has shown respect, preserving their character and qualities for generations to come.
“I’d be more than honoured to have the opportunity to become a protector of our home, to speak up for the residents on issues that concern them, and I aim to inspire the generations ahead to do the same.”
Mr Johnstone said earlier he considered looking after Yamba to be one of the biggest issues in the patch.
“Houses are increasingly being bought by rich people from Sydney and Brisbane because locals cannot afford houses in Yamba,” he said.
Mr Causley was also approached for comment ahead of the election … and also did not respond by deadline.
Meanwhile, two-time councillor Mr Clancy said development on the flood plain was probably the biggest issue on his mind ahead of the vote and he wanted to make a difference in protecting the natural attributes of the Clarence.
Ray Smith nabbed 7.07 per cent, while Lynne Cairns drew 6.65 per cent of votes.
The mayor of the Clarence is elected by councillors and not by the public. Nine councillors will be elected from 17 candidates.
Lismore
Krieg in lead in flood-battered hub
Flood-survivor and Lismore restaurateur Steve Krieg is holding a compelling lead of almost 20 per cent (18.78) over established Greens candidate Vanessa Ekins in the regional hub’s mayoral race.
Newcomer, popular young Labor candidate Harper Dalton-Earls is performing well, close behind the Greens, maintaining a respectful 14.81 per cent lead over incumbent councillor and would-be mayor Big Rob, who is trailing at 11.72 per cent.
In a somewhat surprising development, independent candidate John Jenkins had achieved, at time of publishing 601 votes from 12,991 counted.
Port Macquarie
Mid-North Coast melee for Port Mac mayor
Tally figures are heating up in the election clash over at Port Macquarie Hastings Council, where it has also held a mayoral election and a constitutional referendum relating to a reduction in councillor numbers from nine to seven.
Current mayor Peta Pinson is not recontesting her mayoral seat, this publication revealed earlier this month.
The Port Macquarie Hastings Council electorate incorporates voters in the towns of Port Macquarie, Camden Haven, Wauchope, Lake Cathie and Kendall.
In relation to the mayoral battle, independent councillor and former deputy mayor Adam Roberts is smashing the lead with 36.04 per cent of the vote as at 10pm on Saturday.
He is followed by independent candidate Nik Lipovac and Greens candidate Lauren Edwards with 24.09 and 22.97 per cent of the vote, respectively.
Mr Roberts is the lead candidate for a team of conservative-leaning business people who have strong connections with their local community.
Richmond Valley
Race for Richmond
In Richmond Valley, about 16,721 voters have hit the polls – with mayoral candidate Robert Mustow (independent) a popular option at this stage of counting in the NSW council elections.
Mr Mustow is Richmond Valley’s current mayor and has pitched himself as a conduit between the community and council, ensuring service levels are maintained and improved.
Mr Mustow was comfortably leading the way at 10pm with 40.82 per cent of the mayoral vote.
Lyndall Murray (independent) was coming second at 26.9 per cent and John Walker had a third of the vote at 17.33 per cent.
About 6000 votes had been counted.
Ballina Shire
Cadwallader’s fingers crossed for another stint
In Ballina about 35,600 voters have visited the polls – with most looking to re-elect their current mayor Sharon Cadwallader (independent), according to the NSW council elections ticker on Monday night.
Ms Cadwallader was elected mayor in December 2021 on issues including creating more affordable and accessible housing, protecting and enhancing lifestyle and safeguarding the natural beauty of the shire.
Ms Cadwallader was leading the way with 45.01 per cent of Ballina Shire’s mayoral vote at 9.50pm.
Kiri Dicker (the Greens) placed second at 25.80 per cent and Andrew Broadley was in third at 10.75 per cent as the NSW Electoral Commission counting continues.
About 16,000 votes had been counted.
Kyogle
Rural votes rolling in
A Ward green thumb and farmer Kideran Somerville has a compelling lead over closest rival, ex-Rural Fire Service chief Brett McNamara for a seat at Kyogle Council on Saturday night.
Mr McNamara was five per cent behind Somerville with the three remaining candidates, incumbent councillor Janet Wilson held third place on 18.36 per cent, and a photo finish appeared likely between newcomer Naomi Worrall and Doug Layton.
In B Ward, Olivia Taylor had a 16.17 per cent compelling lead over closest rival John Burley.
Beef farmer and incumbent councillor Rob Cullen was in third spot at time of publishing on 18.74 per cent, followed by cattle farmer Neil Summerville and newcomer Glenn Robinson.
Stalwart Danielle Mulholland took the bull by the horns in C Ward, leading with 40.88 per cent of the vote, 19.82 per cent in front of former countilor and dairy farmer Tom Cooper.
Lifetime local Robin Harley has third position so far with 13.63 per cent of the vote.
Incumbent councillor James “Bill from the bush” Murray had 12.22 per cent of the vote ahead of Earle Grundy, Ian Murrell, and Simon Dejoux.
Ms Mulholland said it had been a tough year for campaigners – with candidate signage mystery going missing – and the election hadn’t finished just yet.
She said about 45-50 per cent of voters pre-polled so the numbers would not be clearer until early next week.
“It’s really up to the community,” Ms Mulholland said.
“If they want me back, I’ll be back to serve the community – the key word being serve.”
Kyogle also had a referendum with the question: Do you favour the election of the Mayor by electors for a four (4) year term with the number of Wards reduced from three (3) to two (2), each Ward comprising of four (4) Councillors, plus a popularly elected Mayor?).
Counting had not been undertaken on the referendum by Saturday evening, according to the Electoral Commision website.
City of Coffs
Foreshores future unclear as current mayor in strife
In Coffs, almost 60,000 voters have hit the polls – and look set to oust Paul Amos as mayor at this stage of counting in the NSW council elections.
Mr Amos was elected mayor in December 2021 after five terms as a councillor and one year term as deputy mayor.
However, small business owner Nikki Williams is leading the first preferences charge about 9.20pm on 32.15 per cent of the City of Coffs Harbour mayoral vote.
Mr Amos trails her on 24.09 per cent, while Tegan Swan has managed third in the tally at 10.56 per cent.
About 25,380 votes had been counted.
Coffs voters also vent to the polls on the controversial Jetty Foreshore development.
The question was: The Coffs Harbour Jetty Foreshore will be redeveloped. Do you agree that some of the foreshore land should be used for multi-level private residential development?
No foreshore voting result was in as of about 9.25pm
Newcastle
Newcastle Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes is in a fight for her political life as former Labor Party member-turned-independent Ross Kerridge appears to be taking the race for the city’s top job to the wire.
With over half of the 126,400 votes counted at 9.50pm, Ms Nelmes had fallen more than 400 votes behind Dr Kerridge.
Preferences from Greens candidate Charlotte McCabe, who has attracted a pumped-up Green vote of more than 16 per cent, and that of Liberal Party candidate Callum (12 per cent), will be crucial.
A large chunk of postal votes may also hold a key.
As at 9.50pm, Ms Nelmes had 32.828% of the vote, while Dr Kerridge had attracted 33.04%.
In 2021, Ms Nelmes attracted 41.9% of the vote, just a tad more than the party attracted in the overall council area (40.8%).
She easily beat independent councillor John Church (27.3%) – who did not seek re-election onto the council this election.
Local polling areas were overcrowded at some venues, with some voters venting their frustrations about long queues and lack of shade.
Some voters at Hamilton Public School waited more than an hour to get inside the polling booths to cast their votes.
The council had continued to be a fierce Labor stronghold, with seven of the 13 councillors from the ALP.
The Liberals had three seats, the Greens two and Mr Church was the only independent.
Local polling areas were overcrowded at some venues, with some voters venting their frustrations about long queues and lack of shade.
Some voters at Hamilton Public School waited more than an hour to get inside the polling booths to cast their votes.
The council had continued to be a fierce Labor stronghold, with seven of the 13 councillors from the ALP.
The Liberals had three seats, the Greens two and Mr Church was the only independent.
Lake Macquarie
‘A shemozzle and a disgrace’
Roads, rates and rubbish were the hot ticket items with Lake Macquarie voters.
Having a fortnightly general waste pick-up was a particular sore point with a lot ratepayers which was the talking point on Saturday.
Liberal Mayoral candidate Melody Harding said there is a high level of disgruntled voters.
“I was talking to a young mum and then a young dad who were having issues about the fact that their rubbish is only collected every fortnight,” she said.
“They have babies, they need rubbish collected once a week, they have inquired about that and discovered it is quite an expensive undertaking to have it collected.”
Ms Harding is also pushing for “practical development” and to address the cost of living crisis for many ratepayers and a more efficient development application process.
But with a strong Labor hold and the top job being held by the highly popular Kay Fraser for the past two terms, who has been on council since 2004, Ms Harding believes it will be a big hill to climb.
“I think it is always a challenge in the Newcastle Hunter regions for the Liberal Party, we have done our best,” she said.
Although just glad she was one of a few Liberal candidates able to run following the recent debacle which saw a critical nomination deadline missed.
“It was a shemozzle and a disgrace and personally I’m very happy the Federal Liberal Party has stepped in to NSW and taken charge because they’ve been eating themselves from the inside out,” she added.
“It had to change and I hope it is going to be a positive change, it really gives you a bad image.”
Byron Shire
Lyon fighting to stay mayor amid accusations
Candidates running in the Byron have made their last minute bids for council as voters rushed to the polls across the shire, home to NSW tourism gem Byron Bay.
Byron Bay Mayoral candidate, independent David Warth said outside the Byron Bay Public School booths on Saturday he believed too many shops and businesses were shi--ing in the shire.
He’s facing off against mayoral candidates including Michael Lyon, who has been fending off domestic violence assault allegations in Tweed Heads Local Court – but pledged to continue his campaign regardless.
Mr Warth said: “I would like to promote Byron with a special package that I could produce as a filmmaker called ‘Byron Naturally’.”
“ … and we would bring people here that would love our environment and love our culture,” he said.
“We can have themed weeks, like a jazz week, and I know some of the best jazz musicians in the world who are absolutely brilliant. It would bring high-quality tourists to town.
“We have a downturn in business … with the natural assets we’ve got here in the Byron Shire we really should be able to promote this area.”
In the afternoon, the booths at the school were attended by a handful of candidate supporters.
They were still eagerly handing out flyers to late voters – easy to spot in party shirts.
Community members, on the other hand, appeared eager to get back to weekend activities – dogs on leads barking for owners to get a move on.
Voter Marion Blake said continuing to progress the rail trail was an important issue in the area and it was good for the mental health of the community.
“It’s good for exercise away from the traffic and the roads. You’re riding among all the trees and you’re seeing the countryside, you’re meeting people,” she said.
Ms Blake also said housing was a problem and she would like to see a different residential set-up in the Byron Shire for the future.
She pointed to an area in Western Australia with housing bundled together on small lots, around 280 square metres, which she believes could work for Byron.
Outside Bangalow Public School, businessman Joel, who did not provide his surname for privacy reasons, said creating more secure housing for the shire was crucial.
“Housing is an important issue and homelessness in Byron is more prevalent than ever. I want to see more support for those struggling in the housing crisis including more opportunities for them,” he said.
The voter also said investments in arts and the live music scene were important to him.
“I think the closures of big festivals around here is super disappointing, I’ve got a business in town so those festivals and big arts events cultivate such a vibrancy for support for local businesses,” he said.
Joel believes Bluesfest can be saved – and said it just needs the right support.
“It doesn’t seem to be getting the support it deserves,” he said.
Parallel Power co-owner Robert Moore said outside the Bangalow booths he would like to see more support for small businesses.
“There’s a lot of red tape when dealing with the government and it’s very frustrating getting grants,” he said.
Mr Moore said he would appreciate getting more financial support to be able to support more employment.
Lismore
‘Always nice to be optimistic’
Current Lismore Mayor Steve Krieg is feeling pretty good heading into the NSW Local Government elections count at 6pm on Saturday – but not getting ahead of himself just yet.
The councillor and business owner in the regional hub is defending the mayoral role after a rough stint working to help the region recover from the horrendous, record 2022 floods.
You know, it’s always nice to be optimistic, but you’re never sure of what the voting public are going to do – and that’s what makes a great democracy,” Mr Krieg said.
“So as the numbers roll in tonight, we’ll certainly know more.
“But hopefully, hopefully we’ll do well.”
In Lismore, the showground booths have perhaps been the busiest – the council vote fell on the same day as the markets, making for a convenient stop off for residents.
Greens volunteers Kudra Falla, candidate Binnie O’Dywer and Sally Willing were at the Lismore PCYC booths.
The trio and said the mood had been quite light throughout the day, with no significant run-ins among candidates, volunteers or the public.
That’s despite fairly fiery campaigns in the LGA, based at least partially around flood recovery for many candidates.
Greens councillor and mayoral candidate Vanessa Ekins said the election has been “really positive”.
“We’ve just run the most positive campaign and we’ve had a lot of fun doing it,” she said.
“We had picnics and bush dances and it’s just been a really positive experience for everyone.
“And it’s been good on the booths for pre poll, and all day today has been very civil.”
Ms Ekins is putting all her eggs in the mayoral basket – “I’m not running for council” – and was hopeful of a win.
“We really demonstrated the way to campaign,” she said.
“We had strong policy positions, community focused, issues that we raised and we just did it with integrity and respect and hope for the future.”
“We’ve got an excellent team of really committed, hard working people.
“ I’ve decided that I’d put my hand up for mayor because we needed some strong leadership in Lismore, and we haven’t had that since the flood, and I think we really need to work with our community on a vision for the future.
“ I’m very experienced, and I’m keen to give it a go.”
Central Coast
Playing the waiting game
The final 15 councillors to lead the Central Coast into a new era of representation will not be decided until next week at the earliest.
With just 15 minutes left of counting to 10pm on Saturday there is still far too many votes outstanding — including thousands of pre-poll ballots — for any candidate to confidently declare they will take office.
The Wyong Ward looks the safest bet where Labor’s Mr MacGregor continues to build on his lead with 4051 votes compared with Liberal’s John McNamara on 3587 and cupcake queen Kyla Daniels (Independent) on 2792.
Gosford East has counted the second-most votes where Team Central Coast’s Lawrie McKinna on 2788 looks likely to get another term along with ALP’s Sharon Walsh on 2239 and Liberal’s Jared Wright on 1847.
Meanwhile the race is still in its early stages at Budgewoi where Labor’s Helen Crowley has bolted to an early lead on 1154 votes.
But you could throw a proverbial blanket over the rest of the field with the Greens’ Sue Wynn on 594 votes, another former councillor and mayor in Doug Eaton (independent) on 549 and John Mouland (independent) on 545.
Luck of the ‘ballot’ draw
As a former professional soccer coach and the last serving Gosford Mayor Lawrie McKinna knows, better than most, how the bounce of the ball or good old fashion luck can have a hand in determining an outcome.
And Mr McKinna’s Team Central Coast has had the rub of the green in Gosford East Ward after securing the coveted “group 1” spot on the ballot paper.
The first group on any ballot paper traditionally gets the lion’s share of disaffected voters who are more interested in avoiding a fine than electing representatives because it’s often the first box they tick on their rush out the door.
Labor volunteer Helen Polkinghorne said Mr McKinna was almost “a certainty” to get back into local government given his Team Central Coast had the group 1 spot.
“And people know his name,” she said.
“People want change, but they also want familiarity.”
Ms Polkinghorne said regardless of where parties were on the ballot paper, a lot of people didn’t have much information to go on to form their decision.
“People are saying they only found out about it (the election) yesterday,” she said.
“People have been saying they’re glad to be getting a council back but a lot of people don’t know who they’re voting for and a lot are saying ‘are we still in debt’.”
Polling officers reported being “flat out” in the days leading up to today’s election with as many as one-in-five voters casting their ballot early across the Central Coast.
One election staffer said The Entrance Ward took more than 9000 votes last week with up to about 2500 in one day yesterday.
“It was so busy yesterday, much busier than it is today. You couldn’t even take a break,” she said.
According to the 2017 election The Entrance Ward had about 50,000 registered voters, meaning the pre-polling numbers this week equate to about 18 per cent.
The election staffer said, anecdotally, the fact people had to vote locally in their own ward in the council election meant a lot of people pre-polled.
“They were just turning up and saying ‘I’m going away this weekend’,” she said.
In addition to voting in a new set of civic representatives, Central Coast voters are also being asked to decide if they want a reduction in wards and councillors going forward.
Voters on the coast are taking part in a referendum to see if they want to reduce the number of wards from five to three, and the number of elected councillors from 15 down to nine.
The referendum comes out of a review into the previous shambolic council, which struggled to pass the most mundane resolutions and was largely blamed for its downfall.
But Guy McKanna said the election was also a “referendum on the lakes” for the three northern Wards at The Entrance, Budgewoi and Wyong.
Mr McKanna was handing out how-to-vote flyers for his financial services “workmate” Jared Wright, who is the Liberal candidate for Gosford East, but his passion is the community group he runs called “Tuggerah Lakes Care”.
Mr McKanna said every major party in the three northern Wards had committed to annual dredging programs to control flooding in Tuggerah and Budgewoi lakes.
“Voters are apathetic down here because they don’t have the issued we have up in the northern Wards,” Mr McKanna said. “This election is really a referendum on the lakes.”
Tweed
Peculiar voter’s council vision
At Banora Point High School voting booths on Saturday, most locals were fired up when it came to hot-topic issues in the Tweed.
These ranged from housing affordability and availability, youth crime, small business concerns and the environment.
Others were extremely relaxed, one voter so much so he said “I couldn’t give a f--k, basically”.
The man, who did not wish to give his name or be photographed and adorned with full-sleeve tattoos, a chunky silver neck chain and a Harley Davidson shirt, said he only voted to “avoid a fine,” he said.
“Yeah don’t want to get a fine in the post, mate. But to be honest I couldn’t give a f--k about the election, basically.
“It’s a bunch of people telling us what to do and it feels awfully controlling.
“If I ran for council, which I wouldn’t, I would probably do a better job than all of em’ (sic).
A slew of first-time, younger voters at Banora weren’t shy to show their support for independent candidate Brady Turner, a 19-year-old Tweed local with his sights set on council.
Mr Turner has been vocal about supporting younger people in the Tweed, saying he wants them to stay in the Tweed rather than leaving for greener pastures on the Gold Coast.
Tweed resident Zara Simpson, 18, said youth crime was a major issue in the region and that “not a lot is being done from a police perspective and it’s just sad to see”.
Ms Simpson said more needed to be done from a council level in relation to “the area itself”.
“When you walk around, it either looks ugly or just doesn’t feel safe,” she said.
“I’d like to see some more changes in the area that’s for sure.”
Liam Lester, 18, said youth crime was a “major problem” in the Tweed Shire.
“Police don’t seem to do anything about it and it’s crazy to see how young the offenders are. It feels like a larger problem with the justice system too,” he said.
Mr Lester said council needed more input and involvement in relation to Tweed City Shopping Centre, which he called “dangerous, scary and unsafe”.
Patricia Phaff, an older voter, said she too supported Mr Turner in his council ambitions and the current council was in need of “new blood”.
“Both me and my husband are kind of over it to be honest. We want to see change and new ideas because it has become terribly stagnant,” she said.
Long-term Tweed resident Ryan Fowler, a passionate environmentalist, said he was keen to get in early at Banora Point High School to cast his vote.
“The Tweed environment is obviously beautiful, so it’s something I would love to see retained and taken care of by the next council,” he said.
He said he did not want to see a continuation of the Gold Coast into the Tweed, but admitted housing was also a priority.
“Development is inevitable, but the natural beauty is still a very important aspect,” he said.
“In relation to housing, it would be good to see smart use of spaces.”
“With that, smart infrastructure and road development is crucial so we aren’t being held up in traffic jams.”
Father and son Shane and Rhys Parnell are lifetime Tweed locals, who both agree that housing and the cost of living crisis are major issues in this election.
“You just take a drive through Tweed and see all the homeless people. It has never been so bad and council really need to step in and sort it,” Shane Parnell said.
Tweed resident Stephen Martin, who has lived in the shire for more than two decades, said he had seen Tweed go from “sleepy” to a super popular region “booming with growth and development.
“Sadly, with that growth and development has come a decline in the living standards for people in the Tweed and a strong behavioural shift,” he said.
Dubbo
The 11 councillors who will represent Dubbo for the next four years will not be decided until next week as counting has ended.
Only 12,000 votes were counted by 10pm Saturday with Labor’s Joshua Black leading the pack, followed by Shooters Fishers and Farmers leader Kate Richardson.
The race is tight between the parties, with Labor sitting on 1684, while the SFF are on 1599.
But with 37,888 registered voters in the Dubbo region the count will have to continue on Monday.
Sitting mayor Mathew Dickerson (independent) is leading the ungrouped category with 1143 votes, which is well ahead of follow-up candidate Jen Cowley (independent) on 630 votes.
Counting resumes on Monday.
Earlier
From multi-generational farmers to community advocates, small business owners to nurses, 48 locals put up their hand to be selected for the next term of Dubbo Regional Council.
Seven current councillors have put their names in the draw for re-election so there could be a blend of old and new faces in the chambers within the next month.
First time independent candidate Jen Cowley told this publication that it has been a “massive honour” being able to run.
“The fact that we’ve got 48 candidates running shows that democracy is alive and well and I think that’s absolutely wonderful,” Ms Cowley said.
“I’ve very much enjoyed the process, I just love talking to people and it’s been really interesting to get around and talk to people from as far away as Stuart town and across the local government area.
“My message is that I love where I live and I know that other people love where I live as well so I want to be that conduit if I can.
“I’ve spent my last 35 years working to make this a better place and hopefully I can continue to do that.”
Local voter Maddi Harvey wants next term’s elected members to take young people’s voices seriously.
“I’m in my 20s so I want to vote for someone who takes local issues seriously, cares for the community and cares about the importance of young people’s voices,” Ms Harvey said.
Another voter Sophie Palmer told this publication she worked at Dubbo Base Hospital.
“I’m voting for someone who is going to fight for safer ratios and better staffing our hospitals, for climate actions and better roads so I can drive home and see my family,” Ms Palmer said.
Dubbo local Danny Ryan voted for Shooters Farmers and Fishers Party due to the policies for the region.
“I like their policies so it would be nice to get a representative in the local community,” Mr Ryan said.
Eurobodalla
‘Now it’s just a waiting game’
Sitting Eurobodalla mayor and ‘Advance Eurobodalla’ independent Mathew Hatcher holds a strong lead for Eurobodalla mayor.
As of 10pm on Saturday when the voting stopped, 9843 votes were counted.
Mr Hatcher – who was elected in 2021 – sits comfortably ahead in the race for mayor, with 38.01 per cent of the votes.
He told this publication that while it was early days, he was feeling good.
“I’d like to say is thank you to all the people who put their hand up to stand,” he said.
“I look forward to working with everyone on council, in whatever form I’m hopefully elected.”
Former Eurobodalla Councillor, independent Rob Pollock, sits behind Mr Hatcher with 16.41 per cent of the vote, while independent Phil Constable sits in third place, with 12.45 per cent.
Most of Eurobodalla’s mayoral candidates fought cold weather and strong winds at the Batemans Bay Community Centre voting booth on Saturday, which, according to some handing out, was the busiest in the area.
“We’ve had people waiting for 15, sometimes 20 minutes just to get in and vote,” one volunteer said.
Current Eurobodalla mayor, Mathew Hatcher, said he was “feeling good”.
“We’ve been so busy all day, lot’s of people here, but it’s been a good day,” he said.
Mr Hatcher said he was hoping to get a second term as mayor, but the decision was out of his hands.
“I’m feeling happy with the effort I’ve put in as mayor and I’m also happy with the effort my team and I have put in campaigning,” he said.
“Now it’s just a waiting game.”
Labor candidate for mayor, Sharon Winslade – who is retired – has not run for council before, but believes her background in corporate finance would help in the job as mayor.
“We need some better financial decision makers,” she said.
Current councillor Anthony Mayne – who wants to be mayor – said he was “quietly confident”.
“There’s a real sense of positive collegiality here handing out,” he said.
“So many different groups of people voting, all with different ideas, so it’s so hard to tell what’s happening, who's going to do well or not, but I’m confident I’ll be back on council.”
By late afternoon, candidates and volunteers were packing up earlier than they wanted, after strong winds and rain hit the voting booth.
Port Stephens
Councillor takes aim at ‘party politics’
With the current Mayor Ryan Palmer taking himself out of the race, it is a hotly contested spot in Port Stephens.
Current councillor Paul Le Mottee, who is vying for the top job, said it came down to whether people wanted a council controlled by an independent or party politics.
“The Labor candidates are trying to say that they’re not going to be controlled by Sydney but if you ever read the Labor Party rules of local government they have to, so I don’t know how they’re getting away with saying,” the independent candidate said.
“One of our major platforms is to keep party politics out of local government for the benefit of Port Stephens.
“A lot of people that would vote Labor in State and Federal have told me they are not voting Labor in local government because they don’t believe it belongs there.”
On Saturday, Mr Le Motte stationed himself at the Fern Bay polling booth, an area with over 19,000 voters.
He also enlisted the help of a good friend Kevin Lynch OAM who he’s known for about 30 years, as he spent the day talking to constituents and spruiking him as the next Port Stephens mayor. The 83-year-old is adamant people don’t want party politics.
“We don’t want politics in local government and we need good strong people because there’s three things Roads Rates and rubbish that are important and pot holes around here you can just about build a swimming pool in,” he laughed.
Meanwhile Labor councillor Giacomo Arnott was spruiking Labor’s intentions at Fern Bay and said people were keen to hear about their plans for a better Port Stephens.
“There’s a supermarket DA in the pipeline at the moment, development has gone through the roof without the proper infrastructure to support it and people are keen to see road grade upgrades on Nelson Bay road.”
With seven years as councillor under his belt, Cr Arnott is hoping to make that a few more years as one of the youngest councillors in NSW, citing it’s the “best job in the world”, while also pushing for a new Labor mayor.
“Someone who has integrity, someone people can trust and someone who will always act in their best interests,” he said.
“Know they will get a full time mayor, she will actually do it full time and get her full attention.”
Tweed Shire
Voters out in full force
Keen early bird voters swarmed polling booths across the Tweed Shire on Saturday morning for the NSW council elections, with affordable housing a hot issue for locals.
At Banora Point High School about 9am, carparking spaces were tricky to find with hundreds lining up to cast their all-important vote.
A positive Chris Cherry, current Tweed Shire Mayor, stood proudly with her placard and made conversation with voters, alongside former deputy mayor and current sitting Labor councillor Reece Byrnes, who is vying for re-election.
Ms Cherry told NewsLocal she would have to ”wait and see” the results in relation to another round as mayor, but reiterated she “loves serving the community”.
In regards to the voting atmosphere, Ms Cherry said “based on conversations a lot of people know what they want out of council and it’s fantastic to see”.
“In the Tweed Shire, every local has an issue that is important to them. A lot of people are coming in and saying they love the new Jack Evans Boat Harbour upgrades and are grateful the current council have achieved it,” she said.
“Being in person on voting day, you get the good and the bad but it’s always lovely to speak with the community and it’s important for them to get the chance to have their say.”
Asked what the mayoral feedback had been like in the lead up to the election, Ms Cherry said “there’s people that love what I do and people that don’t”.
“You can’t please everyone but I am certainly doing the best that I can,” she said.
Mr Byrnes said he believed he was in a positive position for re-election, given his experience on council.
“Look I’ve had eight years on Tweed Shire Council, I’ve got a strong record of delivering,” he said.
“I’ve delivered the Pottsville mens shed, the roundabout at Bilambil Heights and improved our local bus stops.
“My focus for this campaign is keeping our economy strong, delivering housing and infrastructure and I also want to save the Norries Headland carpark in Cabarita, which is currently under threat from the extreme Greens who want to close that carpark to stop locals from enjoying it.”
Mr Byrnes said he was proud to be a “lifelong Tweed local”, having attended high school in the area.
“I went to school at Centaur right here across the road. I live and breathe Tweed.
“I love Tweed and I love the people and that’s why I want to represent them.”
Coffs Coast
Foreshores front of mind
Affordable housing and the future of the controversial Jetty Foreshores have been raised as key issues as voters headed to the polls in Coffs Harbour on Saturday morning.
Voters were out in force at Coffs Harbour Showground, Cavanbah Hall and Coffs Harbour High School.
Many have taken the opportunity to scarf down a long awaited democracy sausage – or were just keen to lodge their council vote and make a speedy exit.
Aaron Ayton and Bob Wilkins were two fellows sighted wrapping their laughing gear around a snag at the showground this morning.
Rex Madigan said he wanted advancement and for the City of Coffs Harbour council to move forward.
“There’s a need for progression. Unfortunately in the last few years the council has been sitting on their hands and not doing a lot,” he said.
I believe we need to have more affordable housing and I think we need to consider some development at the foreshores.”
Ken Borham and Glenda Borham also voted at the showground booth.
Mr Borham said: “I made the decision based on the foreshores and that was about it.”
“I think mainly we voted because if you don’t you get a fine.”
Christopher McRae said his vote “was influenced by the growth down at the Jetty – it’s good to see some things happen down there”.
“It’s kind of a wasted area and I think it’s good to see it thrive down there. It’s a good
little hub down there,” he said.
“I think it will be great for the community and bring in tourism.”
Elizabeth Purnell, also at the showground, said she voted on “a few things”.
“I was really impressed with independents and some of the things with the Coffs Coast,” she said.
“I voted for George Cecato. I thought some of his views were relevant to me. I’m a mother of
two with only one living at home.”
Keep an eye on our rolling coverage throughout voting and as the results roll in on Saturday.
More to come
More Coverage
Originally published as NSW regional council elections 2024: Results, updates and latest news
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