Becoming a Mayor or Councillor

To be an eligible candidate, you must be 18 Years of age, see Eligibility to nominate as a candidate for more details.

You must also be enrolled by 6:00pm on the day rolls close in the council area for which you are nominating — for the September 2024 Council elections, the roll will close on 5 August 2024.

You may be enrolled on either the:

• residential roll
• non-residential roll
• roll of occupiers and rate-paying lessees for a council area

A candidate in a local government election must not be disqualified from holding civic office as a councillor or mayor. People disqualified from holding civic office include people who are:

• currently serving a prison sentence
• convicted of certain election-related or criminal offences
• prohibited from managing companies
• suspended on three or more occasions for misconduct as a councillor
• current state members of parliament (if elected, they may only hold office as a councillor if they resign from the Parliament before the first council meeting)
• serving judges, the returning officer for elections of the council and council employees

The reasons for disqualification are contained in the Local Government Act 1993, which is available on the NSW Legislation website (see sections 274, 275 and 276).

A person elected to civic office can be dismissed by the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT) if it finds that an elected person was disqualified from holding civic office.

It is an offence to act in a civic office while disqualified.

Please note: This information is not legal advice. It is important to note that the Electoral Commission cannot confirm whether you, or other prospective candidates, are eligible to nominate for an election or are potentially disqualified when you nominate.

Every prospective candidate should take steps to be informed of the legislative requirements. You should obtain independent legal advice if you are concerned about your eligibility to nominate for election.

There are no formal qualifications needed to be a Councillor. You just need to be passionate about your community and interested in local issues and eager to learn about how local government works.

It’s in everyone’s interest that there’s a diversity of people who are representative of our communities, and there’s a lot of support and training that’s provided to Councillors to help you understand things like finance, policies and legislation.

Being elected as a Councillor is an opportunity to serve your community, and this opportunity involves a commitment of your time.

Being a Councillor at Shoalhaven City Council is a four-year commitment.

You will also need to do a lot of reading of 'business papers' (meeting agendas) in preparation for the meetings. You can see examples of past meeting agendas on the agendas and minutes page.

The exact number of meetings you will be required to attend depends on the adopted meeting schedule (see next question) but each council must meet at least 10 times a year.

If you miss three consecutive council meetings without getting a prior leave of absence from the Council, your office (your position) will automatically become vacant.

There are a range of other factors that determine how many hours Councillors spend each week on council activities, including the size of the council and the issues that arise.

To get a good idea of the time it takes to be a Councillor in your area, talk to a past or present local Councillor.

Shoalhaven City Council’s current meeting schedule is as follows:

• Two (2) Ordinary Meetings (regular, scheduled meetings) per month  - currently scheduled to take place on Monday evenings at 5:30pm
• Extra Ordinary Meetings (extra meetings for anything not covered by an Ordinary Meeting) - these are scheduled as needed
• Weekly briefings, currently scheduled every Thursday for a minimum of two (2) hours
• Financial sustainability workshops, currently scheduled fortnightly on Tuesdays for two (2) hours

Council has 21 Advisory Committees, most of which meet quarterly for two (2) hours, you are encouraged to attend these meetings if you are a member, or if all Councillors are members.

Currently (to 30 June 2024) the Councillor Fee is set at $32,590.00 with the additional Mayoral Fee being $94,950.00.

Some expenses are covered for Councillors included for training, conferences, travel to and from meetings, child care and other care expenses.

For more information, please read the Community Engagement Policy Council Members – Payment of Expenses and Provision of Facilities.

To stand in the September 2024 local government elections, please go to the NSW Electoral Commission's website to register to start campaigning.

As long as you are on the electoral role by 5 August 2024, you can register to be a candidate up until 12:00pm, 14 August 2024.

Read more about how to prepare your nomination on the NSW Electoral Website's page on becoming a candidate for the 2024 Local Government Elections.