Pittwater Life September 2017 Issue

Dummies Guide to the Council Election
When is the Council election?
The first election for the new Northern
Beaches Council will be held on Saturday
9 September.
Why are we having an election?
On May 12 last year, the Northern Beaches
Council was formed when the state
government merged the former Pittwater,
Warringah and Manly councils. In the leadup,
Warringah council had fiercely advocated
for the three councils amalgamating,
while Pittwater and Manly had fought to
stand alone within existing boundaries.
Later, Manly and Pittwater proposed a
plan that would see Warringah carved up,
with Pittwater and Manly expanding their
boundaries to take in new territory. However,
the Government under then Premier
Mike Baird chose to amalgamate Manly,
Warringah and Pittwater councils as a single
entity. The resulting Northern Beaches
Council covers an area of 254 sq km with
a population of approximately 266,000
(based on latest Census). The government
appointed Dick Persson and Mark Ferguson
as Administrator and interim General
Manager respectively.
The election is your chance to have a say
on who will be the council’s first councillors
and who will represent the interests of
the area where you live.
Northern Beaches Council is divided into
five new wards – Manly, Frenchs Forest,
Curl Curl, Narrabeen and Pittwater. Residents
in each ward will elect three councillors.
There will be 15 councillors elected
to run the new council and the head of the
council – the mayor – will be elected annually
by the councillors.
Do I have to vote?
Yes. Voting is compulsory for all residents
18 years of age or older enrolled to vote.
Fines apply for not voting. The penalty for
failing to vote at a Local Government election
is $55.
Where can I vote?
There is no absent voting at this election.
You must vote in a polling place located
within your council ward. Polling places at
local schools and community centres are
open 8am-6pm on election day.
What happens if I can’t make it on
election day?
If you’ll be away from your ward, you must
vote early in a pre-poll venue or via postal
vote. Pre-poll voting is open from Monday
28 August to Friday 8 September at Mona
Vale Pre-Poll, 1 Park St Mona Vale; Northern
Beaches Returning Officer’s Office Unit
2, 192 Harbord Rd Brookvale; Manly Library
and Sydney Town Hall. You can apply
for a postal vote online at votensw.info (applications
close 5pm September 4). Postal
voting packs can be sent to any address
you nominate in Australia or overseas.
Completed postal votes must be received
by 6pm Monday 11 September. There is no
online voting for this election.
What’s my ward?
The fact you are reading Pittwater Life
means it is highly likely you will be voting
for candidates in the Pittwater Ward or the
Narrabeen Ward.
Pitttwater Ward covers the northern
end of the council territory including Terrey
Hills, Mona Vale, Bayview, Newport,
Bilgola, Avalon Beach, Whale Beach and
Palm Beach.
Narrabeen Ward covers north-central
parts of the council including Collaroy,
Narrabeen, Ingleside, Elanora Heights and
Warriewood.
You can get a clearer idea of the boundaries
of the ward you live in by visiting the
council website.
How do I fill out the ballot paper?
Carefully read the directions on the
ballot paper. You can vote for a group by
filling in squares above the line – known as
'voting above the line'– or you can vote for
individual candidates by filling in squares
below the line. If you choose to vote above
the line, you will be voting for that whole
group of candidates in the descending order
they are listed below that square. That
is all you have to do. If you vote this way,
you do not put numbers in any squares
below the line. If you do not want to vote
for a whole group but for individual candidates
in any order, you may choose to
Sources: NB Council Website, Electoral Commission NSW and Australian Electoral Commission.
vote below the line. To vote, you must put
a number ‘1’ in one of the squares below
the line and then put choices, starting with
the number ‘2’. The directions on the ballot
paper will tell you how many choices you
must show for your vote to be counted. You
can then show more choices, after that,
if you want. If you vote this way, you do
not put any numbers in any squares above
the line.
Who are the candidates?
Candidates in the Pittwater and Narrabeen
wards in this election are grouped as
Independents, Liberal, Labor, The Greens
and Your Northern Beaches Independent
Team. Candidates are (mostly!) locals
(check!); some have many years of local
government experience having served on
previous councils; others are community
leaders taking their first step into subpolitics…
and there are some new faces,
too. In the Pittwater Ward there are 26 candidates
in 8 groups (ordered A-H, based
on pre-determined ballot… so there could
be some good stuff down the bottom!)
In the Narrabeen Ward there are 15 candidates
in 5 groups (A-E). Regular readers
would have seen stories on many of the
candidates in previous issues and we’ve
brought them all together in this issue.
When will we find out the results?
Results will be available as they are counted
once polls close at 6pm on election
day. The first results are estimated to be
available about 6.30pm and most election
night results by 10pm.
What next?
The first meeting of the newly elected
Northern Beaches Council will be held in
the chambers in Dee Why on 26 September
at 6.30pm when the Mayor and
Deputy Mayor will be elected by the 15
councillors. An agenda will be available on
the council website. Council meetings are
usually held on the fourth Tuesday of each
month.
– compiled by Lisa Offord
Election Special
The Local Voice Since 1991
SEPTEMBER 2017 25