Running For Council information sheet.(PDF, 23MB)
To become a candidate in a Council election or by-election, you must be enrolled on the voters’ roll for the election. Yarriambiack Shire Council is divided into 3 wards (Dunmunkle, Hopetoun and Warracknabeal), with 2 Councillors for each ward.
The VEC provide information for candidates and parties on becoming a candidate in a council election or by-election. This covers:
- handbooks and forms
- campaigning
- funding and donations
Qualifications
To be a candidate for a local council election, you must:
- be an Australian citizen or an eligible British subject referred to in section 48(1)(a) of the Constitution Act 1975
- be aged 18 years of age
- be enrolled on the voters' roll for the council in which you wish to stand
- have completed the mandatory Local Government Candidate Training if you haven't completed the training in the 2 years before the election day
- not be disqualified from being a councillor.
The Election Manager appointed by the VEC will reject a nomination from a person who is not enrolled on the voters’ roll for the election.
Disqualifications
You cannot be a candidate for any of the following reasons:
- you are an undischarged bankrupt
- you have property that is subject to control under the law relating to bankruptcy
- you are a member of council staff of the council. You can take leave from this role in order to nominate
- you have been convicted of any of the criminal offences referred to in section 34(2) of the Act
- you are a councillor with another council, including interstate councils
- you are member of an Australian Parliament, including the Federal Parliament or a Member of Parliament in any state or territory of the Commonwealth of Australia
- you are employed by a Federal or State Member of Parliament as a Ministerial Officer, a Parliamentary Adviser or an Electorate Officer. You can take leave from these roles in order to nominate
or
- you are otherwise incapable of becoming or continuing to be a councillor.
Further details are outlined in the Local Government Act 2020.
Candidate Information Sessions
Information sessions for October 2024 Election candidates will be run in July 2024 in Warracknabeal, Murtoa and Hopetoun. Dates for these sessions will be promoted shortly.
Election Campaign Donation Returns
The Local Government Act 2020 s306 requires all candidates in a Council election to submit an election campaign donation return to the Chief Executive Officer within 40 days after election day.
The Chief Executive Officer must then submit a written report to the Minister for Local Government within 14 days advising the names of the candidates in the election and whether or not they submitted a return.
A summary of each election campaign donation return must be made available on Council’s website and include the name of the candidate and, if a gift is included in the return, the name of the person who made the gift and the total value of the gift received from that person.
View a summary of the election campaign donation returns below.
Election campaign donation returns are available for inspection at Council’s office, 34 Lyle Street, Warracknabeal during office hours for a period of 4 years from the date that is given under section 306.
