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PLEASE SIGN AND SHARE THE ONLINE PARLIAMENTARY PETITION to plug the Loophole that allows Non Residents and Non Ratepayers running in Local Government Elections.

The ePetition "STOP Non Residents and Non Ratepayers being Candidates in Local Council Elections" is now open for signatures on the NSW Parliament's website.

You can find the ePetition using the link below 

 https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/la/pages/epetition-details.aspx?q=99H_JZY0F5waY4Ggigb2Ew

PLEASE SIGN AND SHARE Via email or social media.

THE PETITION READS

STOP Non Residents and Non Ratepayers being Candidates in Local Council Elections

To the Speaker and Members of the Legislative Assembly, 

The undersigned petitioners bring to the attention of the House a loophole that allows non-residents and non-ratepayers to nominate as candidates for local government elections. Under the Local Government Act 1993, the terms “owner of rateable land”, “occupier” and “rate paying lessee” include the nominees of such businesses who can be anyone, including a person that is not even associated with the business. 

At the 2019 Annual Conference, Local Government NSW (LGNSW) incorporated the position that a person wishing to nominate for a particular council area must either be a resident or a ratepayer into the LGNSW Policy Platform. Voters at council elections should be made aware in a clear and transparent way if the candidates nominated are non-residents or non-ratepayers within the Local Government Area. Currently this candidate information is not publicly available unless specifically requested from returning officers' offices or pre−poll voting offices. Non-residents or non-ratepayers who have no association with the business should not be nominees. 

The undersigned petitioners therefore ask the Legislative Assembly to call on the Government to:

• plug this loophole in the Legislation 

• change the current eligibility requirements of candidates at local government elections 

• ensure that nominees of a business as described in the Act are associated with the business they are nominated by, as either the owner, office holder, Independent Director/ secretary or employee of the business.

Your assistance is greatly appreciated. 

Kind Regards 

Michael Andjelkovic Independent Community Campaigner