Local Government Elections are a chance for you to have your say and elect a Council which represents you. As a resident, here is what you need to know.
2024 Council Elections
On Saturday 14 September 2024, the election of Mayor and 12 Councillors will take place in Fairfield. Council has appointed the Australian Election Company (AustElect) to conduct these elections. Voting at these Elections is compulsory.
Information regarding the administration and participation in Local Government Elections for Fairfield City Council is available here.
At the 18 April 2023 ordinary council meeting, Council resolved:
That:
- In accordance with Section 224(2) of the Local Government Act 1993, Council determines that the Term of Office being from September 2028, comprises of 13 Councillors including the Mayor.
- A Constitutional Referendum is not required.
We will update this page as more information is made available.
Under the Local Government Act 1993, Council elections are held on the second Saturday in September every four years.
The next Local Government election will be on Saturday 14 September 2024.
Council encourages everyone who can vote to make their vote count by participating in the elections.
How are Local Government Elections conducted?
Councils have options for conducting their elections:
- The NSW Electoral Commission
- An electoral services provider
Fairfield City Council determined on Tuesday 28 February 2023 that an electoral services provider will be conducting its elections in September 2024. The Council resolution is as follows that:
1. Pursuant to Section 296AA(1)(b) of the Local Government Act, an electoral services provider be engaged to administer all elections on behalf of Fairfield City Council in September 2024.
2. Pursuant to Section 296AA 2(a) an electoral services provider has been identified by the General Manager as outlined in Confidential Services Supplementary Item 33 to administer the ordinary election on behalf of Fairfield City Council in September 2024.
Further, Council determined on 28 February 2023 to enter into negotiations for the provision of the elections with the Australian Election Company. The Council resolution is as follows that:
- In accordance with Section 55(3)(i) of the NSW Local Government Act 1993, Council decline to invite a tender because a satisfactory result would not be achieved by inviting tenders due to extenuating circumstances and the unavailability of competitive or reliable tenderers for the following reasons:
1.1 an open Expression of Interest (EOI) was issued to 14 vendors through Councils eProcure system,
1.2 the EOI was advertised publicly,
1.3 14 companies opened the EOI and only 1 made a submission.
- In accordance with Clause 178(3) (e) of the Local Government (General) Regulation 2021, Council enter into negotiations with the Australian Election Company for the provision of entering into a contract to conduct the Local Government Elections in 2024.
- The General Manager be given delegated authority to conduct negotiations and enter into a suitable commercial agreement arising from the negotiations.
At the close of polling, staff at the polling place conduct an initial count of votes and make an initial determination as to the formality of the votes. They record the results before transferring the ballot papers to a central counting area to check and record votes again.
Postal votes, pre-poll votes, votes from Declared Institutions (hospitals and nursing homes) are also added to the tallies to determine the final result.
For the election results, click here.
After each Local Government election, the Office of Local Government surveys all councils. A report provides information about the representation of the community on local councils. The report identifies:
- Councillors and candidate demographics such as gender, age and experience
- Election trends over time