The SA councils where seats could stay empty for a year
SA’s absent election boss has been asking for polling dates to change for a decade, as yesterday’s shock request for a half-year delay threatens to leave seats empty far longer.
Four regional and one metro council face empty seats after their councillors were elected to state parliament in March, with fresh faces still a year away if elections are postponed.
Yesterday afternoon, Acting SA Electoral Commissioner Leah McLay revealed she had requested elections be delayed until mid-2027, saying she expected this would “extend the terms” of current members, with the details subject to legislation.
But councils are concerned that councillors might not stick around for the proposed delay.
Mount Gambier, Adelaide Plains, Alexandrina and Port Adelaide Enfield councils are all short on elected members since One Nation’s Carlos Quaremba, Jason Virgo, David Paton, Independent Lou Nicholson and Labor’s David Wilkins left council roles to join state parliament in March.
Under the Local Government Act, there is no requirement to hold supplementary elections to fill the spots when a general election is less than 12 months away.
Victor Harbor Mayor Dr Moira Jenkins said one empty seat for a short period was “not having an impact” but she was concerned about the consequences if other councillors start leaving because they do not want to serve longer terms.
“Some people have said they’re standing again, some already have plans for when they leave in November,” Jenkins said.
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“Lots of questions need to be answered, so it makes it really complicated.
“On the other hand, if ECSA don’t have the confidence they can carry out an election in a safe and democratic way that’s also an issue.”
Victor Harbor council has had an empty seat since One Nation’s Carlos Quaremba was elected to the upper house in March.
Since entering parliament, Quaremba has been an outspoken advocate for local government reform, and he said One Nation SA was currently working on an independent inquiry to make recommendations to reform local government.
“A six-to-12 month delay in local government elections would have unintended consequences, and would inevitably see local government become even more dysfunctional,” Quaremba said.
Any delay and its terms need the approval of Special Minister of State Kyam Maher and to pass parliament – Maher saying the government would decide “in the coming days”.
Greens leader Robert Simms said he was concerned “residents and ratepayers could be disenfranchised by any delay” given the number of empty seats.
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“There’s also the risk that there may be further resignations with some councillors not being available or willing to serve beyond the end of their term,” Simms said.
An LGA spokesperson said the late call to postpone elections had “understandably drawn strong and mixed reactions from councils and communities, and prompted many questions that need to be considered”.
“Right now, it’s unclear what extending the current term would mean for councils in managing and filling vacancies. LGA is closely engaging our member councils and the State Government about the implications.”
Absent voting boss’s election warning
It comes as SA’s Electoral Commission (ECSA) has asked for council elections to be moved since 2006, with its absent voting boss reiterating the plea last year.
Electoral Commissioner Mick Sherry – who has been on personal leave since April – raised the alarm most recently in a report tabled to parliament last year.
ECSA has recommended moving the date of the council elections so they would be run in the year after state government elections in Commissioner’s reports from 2006, 2010, 2014 and 2018 – Sherry has authored the reports since he became Commissioner in 2017.
Sherry, who is on a $325,000 salary package, remains on personal leave, with acting commissioner McLay saying yesterday that she “did not have any information about a return date”.
The report said ECSA found coordinating council elections can be more complex than the state election “in some ways” because they involve postal voting for 67 areas around the state.
McLay did not say that her request was for a permanent change; she said she believed a six-month delay would prevent repeating problems that plagued the bungled 2026 State Election.
She had spoken to Sherry about her call to delay the upcoming November elections, but could not provide more information about Sherry’s whereabouts.
When asked by InDaily if the government was considering permanently retiming the elections, a spokesperson said “the government is giving consideration to the request from the Acting Commissioner.”
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