LOCAL GOVERNMENT ELECTIONS

LOCAL GOVERNMENT ELECTIONS                                                                                      

IMPORTANT UPDATES:

  • Recent amendments to the Local Government Act 1993 mean that voting in Local Government elections is now compulsory for all electors on the State roll.
  • The Tasmanian Electoral Commission (TEC) has advised that the date for the close of electoral rolls for the 2022 Tasmanian Local Government Elections is 6pm on Thursday 8 September 2022.

For more information, please visit the following link to the Tasmanian Electoral Commission website 2022 Local government elections Tasmania (tec.tas.gov.au).

Council elections are held every four years and all Councillors, Mayors and Deputy Mayors are elected for four-year terms. The next Local Government elections are due to be held during September and October 2022 for Tasmania’s 29 Councils.

The election calendar is detailed below:

TIME DATE EVENT
  Saturday 3 September Notice of election published
9am Monday 5 September Candidate nominations open
6pm Thursday 8 September Electoral rolls close
12 noon Monday 19 September Candidate nominations close
12 noon Tuesday 20 September Announcement of nominations
  Monday 3 October Polling opens
  Monday 3 to Friday 7 October Postal ballot packs delivered to electors
2pm Tuesday 25 October Close of poll

 

RESOURCES FOR CANDIDATES

If you’re considering becoming a Councillor, please visit the following links for further information.

COUNCIL ELECTION SIGNAGE 2022

Candidates in the forthcoming Council elections who wish to display election signs in the Glamorgan Spring Bay area may do so provided they comply with any requirements of the Tasmanian Electoral Commission and provisions in the Tasmanian Planning Scheme – State Planning Provisions (SPP).  Under the provisions of the SPP, election signs do not require approval if they:

  • Do not encroach on any road or other public land;
  • have a maximum area of 1.5m2;
  • are not erected more than 8 weeks before the polling date;
  • and removed within 7 days after the polling date.

Complaints about election signage can be made in writing by email addressed to the General Manager via admin@freycinet.tas.gov.au.  Council will give candidates a reasonable period of time to remove any offending election signs, after which Council will remove them without further notice.

The election period for the forthcoming Council elections is from Monday 3 October to Tuesday 25 October 2022, inclusive.  This means that election signage may be displayed from Wednesday 17th August and must be removed by Tuesday 1st November 2022, to comply with the exemption under the SPP.

Candidates who wish to display election signs that do not conform with the exemption under the SPP, must apply for and obtain approval before displaying the non-conforming election signs.  Information can be obtained from www.gsbc.tas.gov.au.

ABOUT COUNCIL ELECTIONS

Council elections are held every four years and all Councillors, Mayors and Deputy Mayors are elected for four-year terms.

Elections for Tasmania’s 29 Councils are conducted by full postal ballot. This means that voters do not attend a polling place to vote, like they do for State and Federal elections. Instead, information required to vote is sent directly to each voter’s address, however you must be enrolled to vote to participate in a Local Government Election.

The Tasmanian Electoral Commission is responsible for the supervision of Local Government elections. The Electoral Commission appoints returning officers to run the election.

 

WHO CAN VOTE IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT ELECTIONS?

If you are currently on the Electoral Roll for State and Federal Elections for your address in the Glamorgan Spring Bay Municipal area you are automatically on the Local Government Roll.

To check your enrolment on the Electoral Roll please visit the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) website at www.aec.gov.au and click on the “Check Enrolment” button. An enrolment form can also be obtained from that website or by calling the AEC on 132 326 or from any post office.

You may also be eligible to enrol on the “General Manager’s Roll” if:

  • you are a resident in the Glamorgan Spring Bay municipality, but not eligible for the State Electoral Roll (for example, because you are not an Australian Citizen), or
  • you own or occupy land in a municipal area different from where you are enrolled on the State Electoral Roll, or
  • you are the nominated representative of a corporate body which owns or occupies land in the municipal area.

 

DO I HAVE TO VOTE?

Recent amendments to the Local Government Act 1993 mean that voting in Local Government elections is now compulsory for all electors on the State roll.

However, voting at Local Government elections is not compulsory for electors on the General Manager’s Roll.

 

HOW TO ENROL FOR THE GENERAL MANAGER’S ELECTORAL ROLL

To apply to be on the General Manager’s Roll, you need to complete one of the following forms:

Completed General Manager’s Enrolment Forms should be returned to Glamorgan Spring Bay Council via:

  • Email: admin@freycinet.tas.gov.au
  • Mail: Glamorgan Spring Bay Council, PO Box 6, Triabunna, Tasmania 7190