Mayor Calls For Local Government Election Delay

Published on 25 March 2020

Burwood Mayor Cr John Faker has called on the NSW Government to delay September’s Local Government Elections for six or 12 months given the current public health crisis caused by the Covid-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic.

The state government has been meeting the NSW Electoral Commission, and taking advice from health authorities, about whether the elections for 126 councils will go ahead on September 12, or be postponed.

As President of the Southern Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils (SSROC), Mayor Faker wrote to Local Government Minister Shelley Hancock this week arguing for a six or 12 month delay.

“We are currently experiencing a public health crisis that is without precedent,” he stated.

“I have consulted with SSROC Delegates, and this request has the support of the vast majority.”

Mayor Faker added that we are staring into an uncertain future of disruption; one that promises to shake the very foundations and institutions of our society.

“During this time, it is more important than ever, that councils in NSW can focus on the key decisions that we will be needed to ensure that critical functions and core services are maintained,” he stated. “At this time, the uncertainty over the election will prove to only be a distraction.”

“Furthermore, an election risks the health and wellbeing of communities and candidates alike with the implications of mass gatherings and close contact now well and truly understood.”

NSW Local Government Minister Shelley Hancock has the power to extend the election by 28 days while a longer delay to holding them is expected to require changes to legislation.