Council Elections

Overview

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.

We will update the following pages as more information is made available.

2024 Council Elections

On Saturday 14 September 2024, the election of Mayor and 12 Councillors will take place in Fairfield Local Government Area (Fairfield LGA).

Council’s election will be conducted by an electoral services provider, the Australian Election Company (AustElect) and not the NSW Electoral Commission.

Information regarding the administration and participation in Local Government Elections for Fairfield City Council is available here.

Key election dates are as follows:

• Monday 5 August Nominations Open 6.00pm: Close of Rolls, Non-Residential Roll applications due 
• Thursday 8 August 6.00pm:  Prospective Candidates Information Session
• Wednesday 14 August 12pm (noon): NOMINATION DAY - Close of nominations, Registration of Electoral Material commences
• Monday 19 August 6pm:  Candidates Information Session
• Monday 2 September Pre-poll voting opens
• Friday 6 September 5.00pm: Registration of Election Material closes
• Saturday 7September Declared Institution voting commences
• Monday 9 September 5.00pm: Postal vote application closes
• Friday 13 September 6.00pm: Declared Institution voting closes, Pre-poll voting closes
• Saturday 14 September 8.00am-6.00pm: ELECTION DAY
• Friday 27 September 6.00pm: Return of Postal Votes closes

From Monday 8 July 2024, enquiries can be directed to the Returning Officer, Milan Kuban on email: Fairfield.ro@austelect.com.au or the Substitute Returning Officer, Alan Wilcox on email: Fairfield.ro2@austelect.com.au

A map containing all polling places where you can vote on Election Day and pre-poll can be found here.(PDF, 970KB)

A list of suburbs and Wards can be found here.(PDF, 86KB)

Are You Enrolled to Vote?

Voting at these elections is compulsory and fines apply if you fail to vote.

If you are a resident in the Fairfield LGA you can check if your enrolment details are up to date with the NSW Electoral Commission.

If you are on the NSW electoral roll and would like to get an email or text message reminder whenever a local government or state election is coming up, register on the NSWEC website for the NSW Electoral Reminder Facility.

Council does not hold electoral information for local residents.

A Returning Officer will be available from Monday 8 July 2024.

When are Local Government Elections held?

Under the Local Government Act 1993, Council elections are held on the second Saturday in September every 4 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.

Detailed information from the election services provider about all aspects of the election can be found here.

Non-Residential Roll

If you are not a resident, you may be entitled to vote in the Fairfield Council elections, if you own, occupy or lease property in the Fairfield LGA as a corporation, business or individual. You will have to be registered on Fairfield Council’s non-residential roll. A non-residential roll is only valid for the council election it is prepared for, so you must re-enrol for every election.

You can enrol on the non-residential roll, if you are:

• an owner of rateable land in the Fairfield LGA; or
• an occupier or rate-paying lessee of rateable land in the Fairfield LGA.

You will need to fill out the Individual Claim form. If you own, occupy or lease the property with other people, you must nominate who will be voting on behalf of everyone and fill out the Nomination Claim form.

Forms for inclusion on the Non-Residential Roll are available at Council’s Administration Centre, 86 Avoca Road Wakeley, by calling 9725 0226 or below:

Non-Residential Form (Individual) LG127I(PDF, 182KB)

Non-Residential Form (Nominee) LG127N(PDF, 208KB)

For more information on non-residential enrolment, visit the NSWEC website.

Once you have completed the Form, send it to the General Manager using any of the below methods:

By hand: 86 Avoca Road Wakeley

By post: PO Box 21 Fairfield 1860

By email: governance@fairfieldcity.nsw.gov.au

Registration for inclusion on the non-residential roll for the 2024 Council elections closes at 6.00pm on Monday 5 August 2024.

For more information on local government elections, visit the NSW Electoral Commission website.

Information Session for Prospective Candidates

Becoming a Councillor – Information Session

To assist prospective candidates prepare for the upcoming Local Government elections, Council will be hosting a Becoming a Councillor Information Session.

The Information Session will be held on Thursday 8 August 2024 for people considering running as a candidate at the Council elections to be held on Saturday 14 September 2024.

The program will enable those interested in becoming a Councillor to gain a better understanding of the role and responsibilities as an elected member of Council.

At the end of the workshop, participants will be able to:

• Identify the key requirements of becoming a Councillor;
• Recognise how the role of Councillor fits in with other roles and various levels of government;
• Address key expectations and potential challenges in becoming a Councillor;
• Know how the Councillor role fits in with the Integrated Planning and Reporting framework
• Understand key elements of Council meetings including Code of Conduct and conflict of interest.

The Information Session will be held on Thursday 8 August 2024 from 6.00pm at the Council Administration Centre, Avoca Road Wakeley in the Staff Lunch Room and online for those unable to attend in person.

For those wishing to attend the Information Session, please contact Council on 9725 0226 or email: governance@fairfieldcity.nsw.gov.au to register.

Becoming a Councillor

Nominations will be called for positions on the Council as of Monday 5 August 2024. Intending candidates must complete and submit their nomination to the Returning Officer by noon on Wednesday 14 August 2024. 

The NSW Electoral Commission website contains detailed information pertaining to candidate/group registration, funding, disclosure and campaign requirements and matters; please consult the NSW Electoral Commission at www.elections.nsw.gov.au or telephone 1300 022 011.

In addition, the Office of Local Government website has publications which give an overview of the role of a Councillor and how to nominate as a candidate for the local government election.

How the Result is Declared

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. 

The Election Manager will give approval for the Returning Officer to declare the final results of the election.  Council publishes the election results on this website and at its Administration Centre.

For the election results, click here.

Election Tally

For a progressive update on the election results, please use the links provide below:

Mayor https://www.austelect.com/elections/2024-nsw-local-government-elections/

Fairfield/Cabravale Ward https://www.austelect.com/elections/2024-nsw-local-government-elections/

Parks Ward https://www.austelect.com/elections/2024-nsw-local-government-elections/

After the Election

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

Past Election Results