Local Government (Elections) (Periodic Elections) Amendment Bill
The Hon. H.J. GUMBYS (11:02): I rise to speak in support of the Local Government (Elections) (Periodic Elections) Amendment Bill 2026, which proposes to shift the close of polling for local government elections from November 2026 to April 2027. This is not a decision taken lightly and I want to be direct about why it has been taken.
South Australians will be aware that the conduct of the March 2026 state and First Nations Voice elections fell short of the standards this government expects and that an independent review, led by former Australian Electoral Commissioner Tom Rogers AO, is currently underway. The government is frustrated and disappointed by what occurred. No questions have been raised about the legitimacy of the results, but the experience was damaging to voters, to candidates and to the staff who administered it.
It is in this context that, on 4 June 2026, Acting Electoral Commissioner Leah McLay wrote to the Special Minister of State with a direct assessment. In her view, the Electoral Commission is not in a position to deliver the November 2026 local government elections without significant risk of a repeat of those problems. She identified inadequate frameworks, processes and documentation as the core issues and on 9 June she made that advice public. Tom Rogers echoed her concerns in correspondence the previous day, and the government thanks both of them for their frankness.
When the officer responsible for administering our election says they cannot run them safely and well, this government's obligation is to listen and to act—and we have done both. The scale of what is involved makes that obligation all the more pressing. Local government elections in South Australia cover more than 600 positions across 67 councils. They are a logistically complex exercise that demands an Electoral Commission that is properly resourced, properly prepared and operating within frameworks that are fit for purpose.
The independent review of the March election is not yet complete, and the work of addressing its findings has not yet been done. Proceeding in November would mean running a complex, high-volume election before that remediation work is finished. It is a significant thing to ask South Australians to accept the delay in the exercise of their democratic rights and for sitting councillors to serve a further five months beyond their current term. The government acknowledges that directly.
We have consulted widely with parliamentary colleagues on both sides of this chamber, with the Local Government Association and with individual councils and councillors, who raised concerns directly with ministers. The Local Government Association's feedback about the potential impact of midyear elections on council budget cycles was heard and taken into account.
Ultimately, the judgement we have reached is that deferring these elections is the responsible course of action. Electoral integrity is not something this government is prepared to put at risk. A repeat of March across 67 councils and more than 600 positions is not an outcome any of us should be willing to accept, when the acting commissioner herself has told us that it is a live possibility.
There is a longer term benefit to note. It has been a longstanding desire, of both the Electoral Commission and the Local Government Association, for council elections to be held in a different year from state elections. This bill achieves that, with subsequent elections returning to November, on a four-year cycle from 2031. The work of restoring confidence in South Australia's Electoral Commission is underway. This bill supports that work. I commend this bill to the council.