2021 NSW Local Government elections: Political Participants Bulletin No.12

Bulletin No.12
Issued 17 August 2021

1. Nominations

As previously advised, the Minister for Local Government has ordered the postponement of the Local Government elections until Saturday, 4 December 2021.

The Electoral Commissioner has since determined that, to ensure the integrity of nomination data for the elections, any nomination or grouping that had been created for the 4 September election date either using the NSW Electoral Commission’s nomination online management system (NOMS); or using a paper nomination form, will need to be redone, including new NOMS user accounts created for the 4 December 2021 elections.

Please note that any nomination or grouping forms previously prepared in NOMS are no longer accessible.

We anticipate that NOMS will be available again in early October to restart the nomination process online. Further information will be provided in the lead up to this time on the NSW Electoral Commission website and in subsequent bulletins.

The reasons for this decision include:

• the eligibility of a person to be nominated, or a person to nominate a candidate, may change by the new roll closing date (25 October 2021) for the election
• the registered officer of a party may change by the time of the election
• information provided on the candidate information sheet, which is in the form of a statutory declaration, may not be current at the time of the election
• candidates whose nominations are currently in the system may no longer wish to be candidates.

Parties and candidates using paper forms will also be required to use new forms (yet to be approved by the Electoral Commissioner) for the December election for these reasons.

2. Candidate information webinars

Candidate webinars are being rescheduled. The first one will be held at 11am, Thursday 2 September. General information for candidates, including postponement of the election, will be presented at this webinar.

Registration for this webinar will open shortly.

See Candidate information webinars.

3. Distribution of postal vote applications

Candidates and parties must not print or distribute the postal vote application form previously provided. 

All candidates and parties previously given postal vote application artwork by the NSW Electoral Commission will receive an updated version, which we expect will be available in September.

If you have distributed postal vote application forms that refer to the previous election date and have not advised us, email pva@elections.nsw.gov.au as soon as possible. We will liaise with you about the best course of action for these forms.

4. Electoral material

To avoid confusion, candidates and parties who are considering displaying election posters (in compliance with other laws) before the regulated period starts in late October, are encouraged to make changes to any poster that refers to the previous election date as soon as possible. Other electoral material referring to the previous election date should also not be distributed.

Registration of electoral material for distribution on 4 December that refers to the previous election date will not be approved. During the regulated period, posters and other electoral material that includes incorrect information about the election date may be subject to compliance action by the NSW Electoral Commission.

Participants should be aware of new arrangements that have been made for posters and electoral material distributed during the COVID-19 pandemic, contained in recent changes to the Local Government election legislation.

To comply with public health orders at the time of the elections, or to reduce the risk of COVID-19 infection, the Electoral Commissioner may direct that no posters are to be displayed and that no electoral material is to be handed out to voters for the December 4 elections at:

• a polling place or a pre-polling venue, or
• premises occupied, used by, or under the control of the NSW Electoral Commission, other NSW government agencies or a council within 100 metres of a polling place or a pre-polling venue.

Premises include buildings of any description, other structures and land (such as the street).

Given the evolving Delta strain outbreak, candidates and parties should be prepared that directions limiting posters and how-to-votes may be made by the Electoral Commissioner across NSW.

If a direction is made, notice will be given on the NSW Electoral Commission website and a Political Participants Bulletin will be issued.

Links to registered electoral material will be included on the Commission’s website for any area in relation to which a direction is made.

Find out more information about the rules regarding electoral material. 

5. Political donation disclosures

Political donation disclosures for the half-yearly period ending 30 June 2021 were due on 28 July 2021.

If you are a current councillor or mayor, or you were registered for the election as a candidate, group, or third-party campaigner prior to 1 July 2021 and have not yet submitted your disclosure form, you must do so without further delay.

Disclosures must be lodged even if no political donations were made or received during the half-yearly period.

Disclosures – including Nil disclosures – can now be submitted through Funding and Disclosure Online. Log in or request access to Funding and Disclosure Online. By using the portal, you reduce the risk of lodging invalid or incomplete disclosures, and you will be able to see the status of your disclosure.

Alternatively, downloadable disclosure forms are available on our website.

More information about disclosing political donations

Disclosing political donations 2021 fact sheet

6. Candidate Helpdesk available

The Candidate Helpdesk is available for candidates, registered political parties and other political participants.

All enquiries relating to the nominations process, electoral material, ballot papers, ballot paper draw, counting and results, scrutineers, party workers, electoral funding registrations, political donation and expenditure cap rules and compliance, can be directed to the Candidate Helpdesk.

The Candidate Helpdesk is available from 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday, on 1300 022 011, or via email.

• For enquiries regarding nominations, electoral material and ballot papers, email candidates@elections.nsw.gov.au.

• For electoral funding, registration and disclosure enquires, email fdc@elections.nsw.gov.au.

7. Non-client councils

Fairfield City and Penrith City councils have engaged an electoral services provider to administer their 2021 elections.

Information in Local Government elections bulletins about registration for electoral funding purposes, campaign finance and disclosure rules administered by the NSW Electoral Commission still applies, however, you will need to contact those councils about the administration of nominations, electoral material and postal votes for those elections.