How do I run for Council?

Published on 26 June 2024

NSW Local Government elections are coming up in September, which means the Kempsey Shire community will be gearing up to elect the next body of Councillors for the next four years.

But who will they be voting for? If you’re a passionate advocate for your community and are excited by the thought of being an integral part of the decision-making process for your local area, people could very well be voting for you!

While there are no special requirements needed to be a Councillor, there are a few attributes which will be helpful, including good communication and problem-solving skills, willingness to work as part of a team, organisational skills and leadership qualities, as well as an interest in engaging with a broad range of people, an ability to understand reports and budgets, and a strong commitment to organisational values and ethics.

If you are considering running for Council, you should be prepared for a significant commitment of time, the likelihood of having to make unpopular decisions, working with people who hold very different views to you, and a very steep learning curve, especially at the beginning!

Our community is a diverse one, and ideally, our Councillors should represent that diversity. While the numbers of women, young people, Aboriginal people and people of cultural and linguistically diverse backgrounds have been slowly increasing in Local Government, there is more work to be done.

Stand for Your Community is a campaign run through the Office of Local Government to encourage increased diversity in the people who run for and are elected to Local Government, providing support and resources to people from non-traditional backgrounds.

If you do decide to run for Council in this year’s Local Government elections, a good place to start is the Become a Councillor/Candidate tool, produced by the Office of Local Government. This interactive resource provides potential candidates with detailed information about running for election and the roles and responsibilities of Councils and Councillors.

To find out more information and to register as a candidate, head to our website: ksc.pub/election-2024