NSW 2017 local government elections

[JDNSW]

NSW is holding elections for councils that got amalgamated (and possibly some others) next month. Following discussion about this on local radio, I went tot the NSW electoral commission's website to confirm that I didn't have to vote, and, as I thought, no poll in my shire. However, while there I decided to check my enrolment while I was at it.

To my surprise, I found that it stated I was enrolled to vote in the adjoining shire, which does have an election next month. I then phoned the electoral commission, and, after being transferred three times, was assured that they must be correct, and that i was enrolled to vote in the adjoining shire, despite the fact that the map on their website shows I am not in it. And no, they can't correct it.

The problem is that I am right on the boundary, and the "locality" in my address is strictly speaking in the adjoining shire on the other side of the fence, because there is no useful locality name that can otherwise be used to describe where I am - the "locality" that I am in, according to the Geographical Place Names Board thirty years ago, is a town that is ninety kilometres away by public roads, and nearly sixty if I cut across the next door neighbours' place. This address is on my rates notices, driving licence, shooters licence, electoral roll, white pages (after I got their mess sorted) etc, and was officially designated by the shire. It is not my mailing address, as there is no mail delivery.

[incisor]

It's a complicated world John

😀

[87County]

Creatively thinking ....

According to the EC you aren't where you think you are so you've been paying rates the other (wrong) LGA Council for a very long time ?

Hopefully when you get these refunded from that Council you'll be have quite a bit of spending money :)

Another case for a bush lawyer .....





all a bit "tongue in cheek" I'm afraid JD :)

it really looks like yet another case of the usual unbelievable ignorance displayed by bureaucracy

[tact]

NSW is holding elections for councils that got amalgamated (and possibly some others) next month. Following discussion about this on local radio, I went tot the NSW electoral commission's website to confirm that I didn't have to vote[...]


Thanks for the post, a good reminder - returning after so long away from Oz, sorting all the more obvious things like driving licence, bank accounts, super, medicare and tax etc, registering with the AEC had slipped my mind.

[JDNSW]

You're a bit late for the local elections next month, as the rolls closed for them on 31st July, but worth enrolling now you have thought of it for the proposed marriage equality survey - I think you have a fortnight for that, and once done you will be set for future elections (barring issues such as the one I have found!).

[DiscoMick]

My relatives outside Lismore have a similar problem so you are not alone.
Can you erect a mailbox in your shire and re-enrol under that address?
Can you apply for a postal vote?
I believe there is also a process for having a new locality declared under the Geographical Names Board, but it wouldn't be a easy process. You would have to get the support of your neighbors and the council.
Place naming - Geographical Names Board of NSW (http://www.gnb.nsw.gov.au/place_naming)

[tact]

You're a bit late for the local elections next month, as the rolls closed for them on 31st July, but worth enrolling now you have thought of it for the proposed marriage equality survey - I think you have a fortnight for that, and once done you will be set for future elections (barring issues such as the one I have found!).

Yeah I am sorted now, fully enrolled. Tks again for the memory jog.

[JDNSW]

My relatives outside Lismore have a similar problem so you are not alone.
Can you erect a mailbox in your shire and re-enrol under that address?
Can you apply for a postal vote?
I believe there is also a process for having a new locality declared under the Geographical Names Board, but it wouldn't be a easy process. You would have to get the support of your neighbors and the council.
Place naming - Geographical Names Board of NSW (http://www.gnb.nsw.gov.au/place_naming)

I don't have a mailbox - and putting one up would not help, as there is no mail delivery on my road. Why would I want to apply for a postal vote when I should not have to vote?

Not really much point in getting a new locality declared. From a social point of view, I am part of the nearby village, which is in the adjoining council area, to the extent that I pick up my mail from the community postal agency there and am vice-chairman of the village hall committee, despite the fact that I have no access to there except through my next door neighbour's place. So what really would be needed would be to change the boundary of the locality - but there is no way the Geographical names board will extend a locality across a LGA boundary - it would require a change in the LGA boundary, which is the domain of another quango, the Boundaries Commission. But they will not change boundaries except to include specified localities, and with the agreement of both councils involved. And all councils strenuously defend their boundaries when they involve loss of rateable land!

And there are some advantages in being remote from the centre of local government.

[DiscoMick]

Fair enough. Some localities do cross LGA boundaries.
Pre-poll voting is another option if it's not convenient to vote on the day.
Do you have to go all the way into the neighbouring town or is there a closer polling station?

[JDNSW]

Fair enough. Some localities do cross LGA boundaries.
Pre-poll voting is another option if it's not convenient to vote on the day.
Do you have to go all the way into the neighbouring town or is there a closer polling station?

I have no intention of voting in the adjoining LGA. It has a polling station about twenty kilometres from here but the closest one in my own LGA is about 70km by road. The nearest prepoll voting station in my LGA is about 130km away by road.