Tell us what you want for council elections

The Newman Government is calling for your opinion on possible changes to how council elections should be held after concerns were raised following the last council polls.

Local Government Minister David Crisafulli said a discussion paper on the Local Government Electoral Act had been released to get the ball rolling.

“We inherited a local government sector that had been worn down by years of Labor suspicion and red tape,” Mr Crisafulli said.

“Councils were treated as little more than a collection agency for the State, and we knew an important part of the job of getting Queensland back on track was empowering communities.

“I visited each local government area in the first six months of office, and we listened to what councils wanted.

“As a result of these meetings, we introduced more than 150 changes to the Local Government Act and the City of Brisbane Act.

“This review of council elections is another piece of the jigsaw to make sure councils are positioned to best reflect the wishes of their communities.”

Mr Crisafulli said consultation with councils and the Local Government Association of Queensland would be the hallmark of this review, with issues to be resolved including:

·         Preferential voting for all mayoral candidates

·         Providing CEOs with the option of being the returning officer

·         Electronic voting for voters with a disability

·         Review of postal voting provisions.

“Communities know best about what’s right for them, and the changes to the Local Government Electoral Act will reflect that,” Mr Crisafulli said.

The discussion paper can be found at www.dlgcrr.qld.gov.au/haveyoursay . Submissions close on Friday, 17 January 2014.

[ENDS] 5 December 2013

Media contact: Monica Rostron 0409 126 332