IT would be cheaper and faster for New England and North West councils to run their own local government elections, Northern Tablelands MP Adam Marshall has said.
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Rather than paying the NSW Electoral Commission, Gunnedah Shire Council ran its own local government election for the second time, following a successful election operation four years ago.
In 2012, the council saved $31,000 on the quote provided by the NSW Electoral Commission and delivered a result two days faster than other local councils.
Mr Marshall questioned the time taken by the NSW Electoral Commission.
Moree Plains Shire elections were finalised one week after the official polling day, September 2.
“There are many councils across region with less voters than Gunnedah that did not have final results until Saturday,” Mr Marshall said.
“In places like Moree Plains Shire Council, there were only 6000 votes that had to be counted.”
This year, Gunnedah residents knew who their councillors were on the Wednesday after the elections while the NSW Electoral Commission was still counting votes. The council expects to make a greater saving this time around.
Mr Marshall, who was mayor of Gunnedah Shire when it became the first council in the state to run its own election, will write to the councils in his electorate encouraging them to run elections in 2020.
“Gunnedah has shown twice it is possible to run its own elections without any mishaps, delivering a fast result at a much lower cost,” he said.
“I think it warrants some serious investigation. If they can deliver the same product quicker and save $30,000, it's not something that can be dismissed lightly.”