Upper Great Southern Shire councillor nominations are now open

Local government councillor positions are now open for nominations. Members of the community who wish to join their respective councils will have until 4pm on September 7 to submit their nominations. Shires in the Upper Great Southern include Katanning, Kojonup, Broomehill-Tambellup, Kent, Woodanilling, Jerramungup, Cranbrook and Gnowangerup. The Sire of Katanning has four openings for four-year terms and one for a two-year term. The election will be held on October 21, but most votes in local government elections are traditionally submitted by post. Once the nomination period is complete, postal voting packages will be sent out from mid-September. The State Government’s new local government reforms will introduce optional preferential voting, allowing candidates to be ranked in order of preference. This means hopeful councillors must accumulate a certain proportion of the votes, which is dependent on the number of vacancies before being elected. Previously, local government elections have operated on a first-past-the-post system. Local Government Minister David Michael said councillors were an integral part of local communities and said the need for more female councillors was key for fair community representation. “Councillors play a major part in representing the interests of their ratepayers and residents, making decisions to reflect the needs and wishes of their community and shaping policies that align with a council or Shire’s future vision and direction,” he said. “They lead and guide the community, decide how money is spent and propose ideas to make their part of the State a great place to live. “Women are particularly under-represented in local governments, so I would encourage more women to get involved so we can achieve a better gender balance on councils.”