2021 NSW Local Government elections: Political Participants Bulletin No.6

Bulletin No. 6
Issued 3 May 2021

On this page

1. Candidate information webinars

I would like to thank everyone who attended the online candidate information webinars held on Tuesday 27 and Thursday 29 April 2021.

If you have not yet done so, please complete our short online survey about the webinars. Your feedback will be used for planning future webinars. Use the following links to access the surveys:

The next round of webinars are scheduled to be conducted on:

  • 6pm, Tuesday 11 May – Election funding and disclosure
  • 11am, Thursday 10 June – General information
  • 6pm, Tuesday 15 June – General information (repeated)

Use the following link to register your attendance.

2. Recorded online webinar

A recording of the candidate information webinar held on 29 April has been published on the NSW Electoral Commission website for viewing.

3. Candidate handbook

At the time of writing, amendments to the Local Government Act 1993 relating to election processes are before the NSW Parliament in the Local Government Amendment Bill 2021.

Further proposals to support a COVID-safe election, and to ensure greater consistency with State election processes, are also being developed by the NSW Government as potential amendments to the Local Government (General) Regulation 2005.

If any of these legislative changes are made, the processes for conducting the 2021 Local Government elections will also be impacted. To avoid any potential confusion for election participants, the 2021 NSW Local Government elections Candidate Handbook will not be made available before the end of May.

4. Registration of candidates, groups, and third-party campaigners

A reminder that candidates, groups of candidates, and third-party campaigners must be registered for the election with the NSW Electoral Commission for electoral funding purposes.

Candidates and groups must be registered before accepting political donations or making payments for electoral expenditure. Any person or entity that incurs more than $2,000 in electoral expenditure for an election in an area or ward between 1 July 2021 and Election day must be registered as a third-party campaigner.

To register for the election the candidate, group members, or third-party campaigner must complete and lodge the relevant application for registration form available on our website:

  • Application to register as a Local Government candidate (EF.729)
  • Application to register as a group of Local Government candidates (EF.732)
  • Application to register a third-party campaigner and appoint an official agent (EF.735)

Once registered, if your registered details change you must let us know within 30 days by submitting the Notice of change of registered particulars (EF.740) form.

5. Publication of political donation disclosures

Disclosures of political donations made and received for the half-yearly period 1 July to 31 December 2020 are now available on our website.

These include disclosures made by local councillors and candidates, groups, and third-party campaigners registered for the 2021 NSW Local Government elections, as well as political parties, members of Parliament, and associated entities.

6. More information

Visit the NSW Electoral Commission’s website for information about the key dates, processes and rules that must be followed.

Our call centres are open to take enquiries: for political participants (registered political parties, candidates and third party campaigners) enquiries call 1300 022 011 and for general public enquiries call 1300 135 736.

If you would prefer to contact us in writing, direct your electoral funding, registration and disclosure enquires to fdc@elections.nsw.gov.au. Or, for all election-related enquiries, visit the Contact us page on our website and send us your enquiry via the online form.

If you have any questions about the content of this bulletin please email fdc@elections.nsw.gov.au.

Last updated 13 July 2023 at 7:19 PM