In defence of more councillors
If a council in New South Wales wants to change the number of councillors who sit on that council, they need to hold a referendum, with voters making the final decision.
In 2024, four councils are holding referendums on reducing the size of their council....
Where are small or local parties running for council in NSW?
Most candidates running in the NSW council elections are independents, or belong to the three big urban parties.
Over 58% of candidates running for the council election are either independent or unaffiliated. 14% of candidates were nominated by the ALP, 9.9% by the Greens, and...
New Discord server, and opening up election guides
We're now less than two months out from the Queensland state election, and the ACT election. So it seemed about the right time to unlock those election guides for everyone to read.
But while that means two less exclusive benefits for Patreon donors, I'm launching...
Victoria and WA redistributions wrap up, with minor changes
The Australian Electoral Commission yesterday announced the final decision for the federal redistributions in Victoria and Western Australia.
Unfortunately the AEC hasn't yet published the maps, digital boundary files or data matching each SA1 to each electorate. While it may be possible to estimate these,...
Podcast #129: NSW council election preview
Ben is joined by the Sydney Morning Herald urban affairs reporter Anthony Segaert to preview the upcoming New South Wales local government elections. We discuss some of the most interesting elections, the impact of the NSW Liberal absence and local party systems.
Sorry for the...
Does democracy have a role in throwing out bad councils?
When the NSW Minister for Local Government, Ron Hoenig, announced an inquiry into the City of Liverpool in July, it seemed clear that the council was headed down the path seen by councils like Shellharbour, Warringah, Wingecarribee, Wollongong and Central Coast in the past....
What will the ballots look like in NSW council elections
NSW local government elections are conducted using single transferable vote proportional representation, but the actual shape of the ballot paper differs depending on who runs, and whether they run as a group.
This is a somewhat elegant way to allow for the same system to...
Greens win Nightcliff from third place
After the Country Liberal Party clinched victory over the Greens in the seat of Fannie Bay, the Greens have surprisingly won the neighbouring seat of Nightcliff over former Labor chief minister Natasha Fyles.
The NTEC has only now conducted a preferential count between Labor and...
Referendums at the 2024 NSW council elections
Voters in ten NSW local councils won't just be electing councillors this month, but will also be voting on questions put on the ballot by their council. In eight councils, they'll be considering binding referendums that would change the council's constitution. In two other...
NSW councils – how many councillors are running again?
When I was compiling my candidate lists I was keeping track of what was happening with incumbent councillors.
This has allowed me (at least for the councils I am closely following) to calculate the proportion of seats where the councillor is running for re-election. I...