HAWKESBURY CITY COUNCIL LOCAL ELECTIONS 2024 What to know about the Local Government election
Voting is compulsory for eligible residents at the Local Government elections .
This year ’ s council elections have been rescheduled to Saturday 14th September , 8am to 6pm , under NSW legislation .
The NSW Electoral Commission is working with NSW Health to implement COVID-safe measures for polling venues .
Check your local council website to see where and how you can vote .
Here ’ s the basics on what you need to know about these elections :
Voting is every four years Local government elections are usually held in NSW on the second Saturday in September every four years . At local government elections voters in each local government area elect councillors to their local council . This year all 125 councils in NSW are taking part in the elections .
A local government area can be either : - undivided , where the councillors are elected by all voters in that area , or
- divided , where the council is divided into wards , from which an equal number of councillors are elected for each ward .
Councillors are elected for a four-year term , and the number of councillors elected varies from council to council . Am I eligible to vote ? You can vote in the local government elections if you are an Australian citizen , or a British citizen who was enrolled to vote in Australia on 25 January 1984 , and are aged 18 years or older , and have lived at your current address for at least one month .
You only need to enroll once with the Australian Electoral Commission to vote for all three levels of government .
If you are not sure whether you are enrolled to vote , you can check your enrolment details online at roll . elections . nsw . gov . au or call 1300 135 736 . Casting a vote before election day : Early voting , pre-poll and postal voting is available .
Online and operator assisted voting ( iVote ) is available for people with a disability , require assistance , live more than 20 kilometres from their nearest polling place , are silent electors or will not be in their local government area on voting day .
Where to vote :
Go online to check the latest information on the electorate at : elections . nsw . gov . au .
THREE LEVELS OF GOVERNMENT EXPLAINED
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
The decision-making body of the federal government is Federal Parliament , which consists of two houses – the House of Representatives and the Senate .
The leader of the federal government is called the Prime Minister .
A federal election must be held every three years because Australia ’ s Constitution limits the term of Members of the House of Representatives .
Representatives elected to the House of Representatives are called Members of the House of Representatives . There are 150 members and each member represents a separate division or electorate in Australia .
Representatives elected to the Senate are called senators . They represent a whole state or territory . There are 12 senators for every state and two senators for each territory .
Senators representing states are elected for a term of six years , with senators representing territories elected for a term of three years .
RESPONSIBILITIES INCLUDE :
• Foreign Affairs
• Immigration
• Passports
• Customs
• Trade
• Imports and Exports
• Australia Post
• Social Security - Centrelink
• Pensions
• Family Support
• Medicare
• Currency
• Taxation - Income Tax , GST , Carbon Tax & Company Taxes
• Funding to the States and Territories
• Defence – Navy , Army & Air Force ( RAAF )
• Border Protection
• Air Safety
• Industrial Relations
• Employment and Workplace Relations
• Control of Television and Radio
• Broadband
• NPWS – National Parks & Wildlife Services
STATE NSW STATE GOVERNMENT
The decision-making body of state government is the state parliament which meets in the Parliament House of the particular state . Each state parliament , except for the Queensland Parliament , is made up of two houses .
Representatives elected to state parliaments are generally known as ‘ Members ’ – Members of the Legislative Assembly ( MLA ) or Members of the House of Assembly ( MHA ) or Members of the Legislative Council ( MLC ).
The leader of a state government is called the Premier .
The Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory have a different arrangement called Territory Government . Each territory parliament has one house called the Legislative Assembly .
The leader of each territory government is called the Chief Minister . States raise their own money through taxes and also receive money directly from the Federal Government .
The State Premiers and Territory Chief Ministers meet regularly in Canberra with the Prime Minister and Treasurer to discuss the amount of money they will receive to help pay for theirservices . The meeting is called the Council of Australian Governments ( COAG ).
RESPONSIBILITIES INCLUDE :
• Education - Schools , TAFE ’ s & Universities
• Public Transport - Railways , Buses & Ferries
• Main Roads Construction & Maintenance
• Car Registration & Licensing
• Fire Brigades & Volunteer Fire Services
• Hospitals & Health
• Ambulance
• Justice
• Prisons
• Police
• State Planning
• Consumer Affairs
• Forestry
• Wildlife Protection
LOCAL HAWKESBURY CITY COUNCIL
The decision-making body of local government is usually called the city council or shire council . Councils are established by state governments to look after the particular needs of a city or local community .
The people ’ s representatives who form the Council are called aldermen or councillors . The head of the Council is the Mayor or Shire President .
There are hundreds of local Governments throughout Australia . Councillors are elected to represent local residents and the Mayor is elected by the Councillors .
Local Governments plan how our local area will develop . Councils make decisions on local town matters . They also make laws ( by-laws ) that cover a wide range of everyday services – like rubbish collection , sewerage and footpaths . Local Councils raise the money to provide these services by collecting taxes ( rates ) from all local homeowners . Local Councils also receive money from Federal and State Government grants to help them operate .
RESPONSIBILITIES INCLUDE :
• Local Roads – Planning , Maintenance & Street Signs
• Traffic Control
• Public Car Parks
• Parking Regulations
• Public Amenities - Toilets
• Drains and Footpaths
• Recreational Facilities , Sports Grounds , Swimming Pools
• Public Parks & Reserves
• Building Permits , Building Regulations & Land Subdivisions
• Collecting Rates
• Animal Control & Pound
• Public Health - Community Centres &
Further information about the electoral process , enrolment and voting is available at the AEC website www . aec . gov . au or by calling 13 23 26 .
Services
• Local Waste Facilities & Services
• Rubbish Collections
20 ISSUE 172 // SEPTEMBER 2024 theindependentmagazine . com . au THE HAWKESBURY INDEPENDENT