Administration Requirements for Countback Elections to Fill Casual Vacancies
Local Government Amendment (Elections) Bill 2025
Legislative Assembly
Legislative Council
Assent
Introduced by: The Hon Ron Hoenig MP (ALP); The Hon Tara Moriarty MLC (ALP)
Links to official parliament websites
Effects of this bill
If this bill passes, it means that:
The Debate
What different members said when this bill was debated:
James Griffin LIB
“The Opposition supports the Local Government Amendment (Elections) Bill 2025. We will have a lot more to say about the bill in the Legislative Council, where we will be proposing amendments to it. The laudable purpose of the bill is to ensure a safeguarded and efficient election process for local government. It is worth noting some key aspects of the bill.”
Edmond Atalla ALP
“I make a brief contribution in support of the Local Government Amendment (Elections) Bill 2025. This legislation is about restoring integrity, consistency and public confidence in the administration of council elections across New South Wales. For over a decade, councils have had the option to engage private providers to run their elections.”
Anthony Roberts LIB
“The Local Government Amendment (Elections) Bill 2025 is a timely and measured reform. It strengthens integrity, ensures consistency and restores public confidence in how local government elections are conducted in the State of New South Wales. The most significant change in the legislation is the abolition of private electoral service providers.”
“I contribute to the debate on the Local Government Amendment (Elections) Bill 2025. Like the member for Lane Cove, I strongly support the bill, which I am sure comes as no surprise to any member. My thoughts on this are public and well documented.”
Kobi Shetty GRN
“I speak on behalf of The Greens in debate on the Local Government Amendment (Elections) Bill 2025 and indicate that The Greens do not support the bill. It includes some important provisions that we are in favour of but, on balance, we cannot support it.”
Nathan Hagarty ALP
“I speak in strong support of the Local Government Amendment (Elections) Bill 2025. I strongly believe in the simple principle that we should not subcontract and privatise democracy. It belongs to the people, not to the highest bidder. Thankfully, the bill restores that principle.”
Lynda Voltz ALP
“It is a pleasure to support the Local Government Amendment (Elections) Bill 2025. It is another one of those bills where you think, "If something wasn’t broken, why on earth did we go along and fix it?" We can all talk about Adam Smith’s The Wealth of Nations and the unseen hand of the economy, but even Adam Smith had a firm view that government should be involved in certain things.”
Anna Watson ALP
“I briefly contribute to debate on the Local Government Amendment (Elections) Bill 2025, which I support. I focus particularly on the measures to remove barriers to candidate participation at council elections and to address the confusion that voters face when they try to vote outside their local government area.”
Karen McKeown ALP
“I support the Local Government Amendment (Elections) Bill 2025, which strengthens the integrity and consistency of, and public confidence in, council elections across New South Wales by returning the administration of all council elections to the NSW Electoral Commission and modernising vacancy and voting arrangements to better reflect community expectations.”
Sonia Hornery ALP
“I speak on the Local Government Amendment (Elections) Bill 2025. The important discussion today on the privatisation of a hospital and its return to public hands—thank goodness—which made me grateful, reminded me of a couple of things about privatisation.”
Julia Finn ALP
“I contribute to debate on the Local Government Amendment (Elections) Bill 2025. This is important legislation to correct yet another folly of the former Government when it came to privatisation and outsourcing. Elections are a natural monopoly and should be conducted by the independent arbiter, being the NSW Electoral Commission.”
Ron Hoenig ALP
“Firstly, I thank members for their contributions to debate on the Local Government Amendment (Elections) Bill 2025. I particularly thank members representing the electorates of Manly, Mount Druitt, Lane Cove, Liverpool, Leppington, Auburn, Shellharbour, Granville, Penrith, Wallsend and Balmain.”
News articles and press releases
Local Government Amendment (Elections) Bill 2025
Mr RON HOENIG, Minister for Local Government — 2025-06-04
The bill proposes amendments to the Local Government Act 1993 and the Local Government (General) Regulation 2021 to end a previous government’s failed experiment to allow councils to use private electoral service providers to administer their elections. If enacted, the NSW Electoral Commissioner will be responsible for the administration of all local government elections for the State’s 128 councils.