Elections - Electoral Commission SA

The Electoral Commission of South Australia conducted a plebiscite in the District Council of Grant and the City of Mount Gambier that asked voters whether they agree, or not, that an amalgamation of their councils should be examined.

A separate ballot paper was included in the 2022 Council Elections ballot pack that voters received.

The purpose of the non-binding plebiscite is to obtain voters' views on the proposition. The Government is not compelled to take action following the outcome of the plebiscite.

Results

District Council of Grant

Ward	Yes	No	Informal	Total
Central	219	2,254	7	2,480
Tarpeena	42	297	2	341
Port MacDonnell	17	362	1	380
Total	278	2,913	10	3,201

City of Mount Gambier

Council	Yes	No	Informal	Total
Mount Gambier	2,663	4,041	40	6,744

Access the results of past local government elections and polls, including council periodic elections and supplementary elections.

Council periodic elections

From 2022 onwards, the results and statistics for council periodic elections are published online. Previously, the results and statistics for council periodic elections were included in the council election reports ECSA published after each event.

Council supplementary and recount elections

From 2012 onwards, the results for council supplementary elections are published online. The results of recount elections conducted have been published online since 2022.

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2022

Mid Murray - Eyre Ward - 21 February 2022

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Downloads

Download a copy of the table of donation and expenditure returns for the 2022 Council Elections.

City of Adelaide
Type of return	Type of candidate	Disclosure period (i.e. reporting period covered by the return)		Lodgement period – when the return must be lodged
Type of return	Type of candidate	From	To	Lodgement period – when the return must be lodged
Campaign donation return No.1 This return will disclose a gift (or gifts from the same donor) totalling $500 or more. If no disclosable gifts are received, a NIL return must be lodged.	New candidate^[i]	Tuesday 9 November 2021 i.e. 12 months before polling day for the election	*Thursday 1 December 2022* (21 days after polling day)	The period between Tuesday 27 September 2022 and Tuesday 4 October 2022
	New candidate and when they became a candidate in the election was a member of the City of Adelaide Council appointed under the Local Government Act 1999	The day on which the person was appointed as a member of the council
	Not new candidate (Returning candidate)	*Saturday 1 December 2018* i.e. at the end of 21 days after polling day for the last preceding election in which the person was a candidate.
Campaign donation return No.2	New candidate	Tuesday 9 November 2021 i.e. 12 months before polling day for the election	*Thursday 1 December 2022* (21 days after polling day)	Within 30 days after the conclusion of the election. For an election where the candidates *do not exceed* the number of persons required to be elected – the period between Friday 2 December 2022 and *Monday 12 December 2022*.
	New candidate		*Thursday 1 December 2022* (21 days after polling day)	For any other election where the number of candidates *exceed* the number of persons required to be elected – the period between *Friday 2 December 2022* and *Monday 19 December 2022*.
	New candidate and when they became a candidate in the election was a member of the City of Adelaide Council appointed under the Local Government Act 1999	The day on which the person was appointed as a member of the council	*Thursday 1 December 2022* (21 days after polling day)	For an election where the candidates *do not exceed* the number of persons required to be elected – the period between Friday 2 December 2022 and *Monday 12 December 2022*.
			*Thursday 1 December 2022* (21 days after polling day)	For any other election where the number of candidates *exceed* the number of persons required to be elected – the period between *Friday 2 December 2022* and *Monday 19 December 2022*.
	Returning candidate	*Saturday 1 December 2018* i.e. at the end of 21 days after polling day for the last preceding election in which the person was a candidate	*Thursday 1 December 2022* (21 days after polling day)	For an election where the candidates *do not exceed* the number of persons required to be elected – the period between Friday 2 December 2022 and *Monday 12 December 2022*.
	Returning candidate		*Thursday 1 December 2022* (21 days after polling day)	For any other election where the number of candidates *exceed* the number of persons required to be elected – the period between *Friday 2 December 2022* and *Monday 19 December 2022*.
Large gift return This return is only required if a candidate receives a gift (or gifts from the same donor) in excess of $2,500. If no such gifts are received, a return is NOT required.	New candidate	*Wednesday 10 November 2021* i.e. the date the Act was amended.	*Thursday 1 December 2022* (21 days after polling day).	Within *5 days after receipt*
	New candidate and when they became a candidate in the election was a member of the council appointed under the Local Government Act 1999
	Returning candidate
Campaign expenditure return This return must disclose all campaign expenditure received. If no campaign expenditure over $500 is received, a NIL return must be lodged.	All City of Adelaide candidates	Disclosure period is not defined – it covers all campaign expenditure incurred in relation to the election		Within 30 days after the conclusion of the election. For an election where the candidates *do not exceed* the number of persons required to be elected – the period between *Saturday 12 November 2022* and *Monday 12 December 2022*.
	All City of Adelaide candidates			For any other election where the number of candidates *exceed* the number of persons required to be elected – the period between Saturday 19 November 2022 and *Monday 19 December 2022*.

Other councils (except City of Adelaide)
Type of return	Type of candidate	Disclosure period (i.e. reporting period covered by the return)		Lodgement period – when the return must be lodged
Type of return	Type of candidate	From	To	Lodgement period – when the return must be lodged
Campaign donations return No.1 This return will disclose a gift (or gifts from the same donor) totalling $500 or more. If no disclosable gifts are received, a NIL return must be lodged.	New candidate^[i]	The date that they announced their candidacy or nominated as a candidate (whichever was earlier)	*Thursday 1 December 2022* (21 days after polling day)	The period between Tuesday 27 September 2022 and Tuesday 4 October 2022
	New candidate and when they became a candidate in the election was a member of the council appointed under Chapter 3 of the Local Government Act 1999	The day on which the person was appointed as a member of the council
	*Not* new candidate (Returning candidate)	*Saturday 1 December 2018* i.e. at the end of 21 days after polling day for the last preceding election in which the person was a candidate.
Campaign donations return No.2	New candidate	The date that they announced their candidacy or nominated as a candidate (whichever was earlier)	*Thursday 1 December 2022* (21 days after polling day)	Within 30 days after the conclusion of the election. For an election where the candidates *do not exceed* the number of persons required to be elected – the period between Friday 2 December 2022 and *Monday 12 December 2022*.
	New candidate		*Thursday 1 December 2022* (21 days after polling day)	For any other election where the number of candidates *exceed* the number of persons required to be elected – the period between *Friday 2 December 2022* and *Monday 19 December 2022*.
	New candidate and when they became a candidate in the election was a member of the council appointed under Chapter 3 of the Local Government Act 1999	The day on which the person was so appointed as a member of the council	*Thursday 1 December 2022* (21 days after polling day)	For an election where the candidates *do not exceed* the number of persons required to be elected – the period between Friday 2 December 2022 and *Monday 12 December 2022*.
			*Thursday 1 December 2022* (21 days after polling day)	For any other election where the number of candidates exceed the number of persons required to be elected – the period between *Friday 2 December 2022* and *Monday 19 December 2022*.
	Returning candidate	*Saturday 1 December 2018* i.e. at the end of 21 days after polling day for the last preceding election in which the person was a candidate.	*Thursday 1 December 2022* (21 days after polling day)	For an election where the candidates *do not exceed* the number of persons required to be elected – the period between Friday 2 December 2022 and *Monday 12 December 2022*.
	Returning candidate		*Thursday 1 December 2022* (21 days after polling day)	For any other election where the number of candidates *exceed* the number of persons required to be elected – the period between *Friday 2 December 2022* and *Monday 19 December 2022*.
Large gift return This return is only required if a candidate receives a gift (or gifts from the same donor) in excess of $2,500. If no such gifts are received, a return is NOT required.	New candidate	The date that they announced their candidacy or nominated as a candidate (whichever was earlier)	*Thursday 1 December 2022* (21 days after polling day).	Within *5 days after receipt*
	New candidate and when they became a candidate in the election was a member of the council appointed under Chapter 3 of the Local Government Act 1999	The day on which the person was so appointed as a member of the council
	Returning candidate	*Wednesday 10 November 2021*

Information current as at 25 August 2022

Disclaimer: The information contained in this table is general in nature. Users should refer to the specific wording of the Local Government (Elections) Act 1999 and City of Adelaide Act 1998 and Regulations and seek independent legal or other advice on any issues of interpretation that may exist. Dates may be subject to change.

^[i] A candidate is a new candidate if they have not been a candidate in the last general election of a council (a ‘general election’ means a general election of members whether held under section 5 of the Local Government (Elections) Act 1999 or pursuant to a proclamation of notice under the Local Government Act 1999) and have not been a candidate at a supplementary election held after the last general election of a council.

There are restrictions placed on advertising during, and outside of, an election period. These are contained within Part 7 of the Local Government (Elections) Act 1999.

The Electoral Commission SA is unable to provide advice on the interpretation of these provisions. Therefore, if you are in doubt about the interpretation, we recommend you seek independent legal advice.

Electoral material is defined as an advertisement, notice, statement or representation calculated to affect the result of an election or poll.

Prescribed information as it relates to electoral material is defined as follows:

if the printer or other person responsible for undertaking production of the printed electoral material has a physical address – that address; or
if the printer or other person responsible for undertaking production of the printed electoral material does not have a physical address – the email address or website address of the printer or other person.

As provided by the Local Government Act 1999 s226(2a), electoral advertising posters (made from plastic or corflute) relating to local government elections are prohibited on public roads (including any structures, fixtures or vegetation on a public road), except in circumstances prescribed by regulation. Contact your council for details on signage that may be permitted.

Publication of electoral material

Local Government (Elections) Act - s 27

All electoral material must be authorised and contain the name and address of:

the person authorising publication of the material, and
in the case of printed material, the name and address of the printer or person responsible for its production, if they have a physical address. If they do not have a physical address, the name and email address or website.

The address may be a post office box or business address, provided it is the usual post office box or business address used by the person.

Electoral material published in a newspaper as a letter to the editor must include the name and address of the writer of the letter. This address cannot be a post office box.

Electoral material published on the internet must include the authorisation above, except where the name and address of the authoriser is immediately accessible by viewers of the material.

In the context of social media, all profiles, pages, or groups used to campaign must be authorised in the ‘about’ section. Any photos or videos containing electoral material and shared on social media should be authorised within that medium.

Comments and replies are not required to be authorised if the authorisation appears in the ‘about’ section of the page publishing the comments or replies.

If electoral material is published on the internet by a person other than the person who controls the site/page, the person who controls the site/page is not taken to have published material unless they directly or indirectly authorised its publication.

Publication of misleading material

Local Government (Elections) Act - s 28

Electoral material must not contain a statement purporting to be a statement of fact that is inaccurate or misleading to a material extent.

If electoral material contains a statement purporting to be a statement of fact, and the statement is inaccurate and misleading to a material extent, a person who authorised, caused or permitted the publication of the material (the publisher) is guilty of an offence.

This section applies to material published by any means (including radio or television).

If the Electoral Commissioner is satisfied that published electoral material contains a statement purporting to be a statement of fact that is inaccurate and misleading to a material extent, the Electoral Commissioner may request the publisher to withdraw the material from further publication and/or publish a retraction.

The publisher's response to a request by the Electoral Commissioner may be taken into account in assessing any penalty to which the publisher may be liable.

Publication of candidate profiles

Local Government (Elections) Act - s 19A

Candidate profiles must be published on the internet within 14 days after the close of nominations.

Candidate profiles and photographs are published on the ECSA website and are provided to electors with the ballot papers.

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Plebiscite - Grant and Mount Gambier

Results

District Council of Grant

City of Mount Gambier

Past council elections

Council periodic elections

Council supplementary and recount elections

Table of disclosure returns

Downloads

City of Adelaide

Other councils (except City of Adelaide)

Electoral advertising - council elections

Publication of electoral material

Publication of misleading material

Publication of candidate profiles