2024 NSW Local Government elections: Council update No.11

18 October 2024

1. Election results

Final count reports have been published on the NSW Electoral Commission’s results website:

• select 'Results by Local Government Area' (from the left-hand menu)
• select your area from the list
• click on the link for your contest (Mayoral, Councillor, Poll or Referendum)

2. Declaration of results

The declaration of the election results by the Returning Officer was sent to each council.

This declaration should be displayed prominently at the office of the relevant council. The information contained in the declaration is also published on our website in the results section.

The notice of the 22 uncontested elections can be viewed on our website. 

3. Nomination deposit returns

Candidates who are eligible for a nomination deposit return are required to ensure their deposit return details, as lodged with their nomination, are up to date. Please direct any candidate enquiries regarding nomination deposit returns to candidates@elections.nsw.gov.au

4. Countback resolutions

At their first meeting, it is important for councils to remember to discuss the option of using the Countback process to fill casual vacancies occurring in the first 18 months of the newly elected council. Learn more about the Countback process or read the Countback factsheet. We would be grateful if councils who adopt Countback provide a copy of the resolution to councilelections@elections.nsw.gov.au

5. Closing local government election campaign accounts

We encourage you to share this information. The following information applies to campaign account users if:

• you were part of a group of candidates, or
• you were endorsed by a political party.

If you had a candidate campaign account and were elected, you can keep your campaign account and use it to accept political donations and make payment for electoral expenditure as an elected member.

If you no longer require a campaign account to deposit political donations and/or pay for electoral expenditure:

• Ensure all payments for electoral expenditure have been made.
• If there are funds remaining in the campaign account, and you paid your own money into the account, you may reimburse yourself up to the amount that you paid into the account.
• If there are still funds remaining in the account, disperse the funds according to the instructions below.
• Obtain bank statements for the account.

Funds remaining in a campaign account must be dispersed as follows:

• a candidates’ or elected members’ campaign account - remaining funds are to be paid to the political party of which you were a member at the time of the election, or
• a group of candidates’ campaign account - remaining funds are to be paid to the campaign accounts of the members of the group, divided equally, or
• if the above does not apply, remaining funds are to be paid to your nominated charity or a charity nominated by the NSW Electoral Commission. 

After the funds have been dispersed from the campaign account and bank statements have been obtained, the account should be closed if it is no longer required. Accounting records are required to be kept for at least three years. 

The above information does not apply to a political party’s local government campaign account.

View more information about campaign accounts.

View more information about record keeping.

6. Disclosure obligations after the elections 

Candidates and groups, as well as elected members (councillors and mayors) and other political participants must disclose political donations received and made, and electoral expenditure incurred, to the NSW Electoral Commission. Disclosures must be lodged even if no political donations were made or received during the half-yearly period and/or no electoral expenditure was incurred during the annual period.

Please note the following due dates in 2025

Political donation disclosures for the half-year period 1 July 2024 to 30 December 2024 are due by 11 February 2025. 

Electoral expenditure disclosures for the annual period 1 July 2024 to 30 June 2025 are due by 22 September 2025.

Disclosures can be made using Funding and Disclosure online.  Log in to your account, or request access if you don’t yet have access.

View more information about disclosing political donations and electoral expenditure.

7. We value your feedback

After the election, we will send all councils an online survey. We would very much appreciate it if you could complete the survey as soon as you receive it. The feedback will give us valuable information about how to improve the service we provide to councils when conducting elections on your behalf.