Embattled election boss makes call on future
Breaking: The state’s election boss, who has been on leave since a problem-plagued state election, has resigned, as the government responds to a call to delay council elections.
SA Electoral Commissioner Mick Sherry today tendered his resignation from the top job, Attorney General Kyam Maher announced.
It comes as Maher announced urgent legislation would be introduced to parliament today to delay council elections by six months.
Sherry, who is on a $325,000 salary, had been on leave from the top job since April, and today it was revealed that he wrote to the Governor to resign as of July 24.
Maher said Sherry was “currently on personal leave using accrued entitlements” and it was “up to him to decide” if he wanted to return to work between now and July.
“I won’t speak for him, I’ll let him do that,” Maher said about Sherry, who has not been available for media comment in recent months.
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His deputy, Leah McLay, who has been acting in the top job during his absence, will continue as Acting Commissioner after Sherry’s resignation.
To fill the role, the Governor makes the appointment after both houses of parliament recommend a successor to Sherry, who has been at the helm of state and council elections since 2017.
Local Government Minister Rhiannon Pearce would introduce legislation today to delay council elections until April next year.
McLay last week asked for a delay to November’s upcoming council elections to prevent a repeat of the state election’s troubles, which is currently under review.
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The legislation would delay polling day until April 7, 2027, instead of November 11, 2026, and would keep council elections in an alternative year to state elections – a request the Electoral Commission has been calling for since 2006.
“What I am confident about, based on the advice we’ve got, is that having elections in April of next year will reduce the chance of problems occurring compared to having them in their scheduled time in November,” Maher said today.
“We’ve acted as quickly as we could in drafting this legislation. There’s that last split sitting week, so parliament rises Thursday in a week and a half’s time. That will be enough time for both houses of parliament to consider and to make a decision on it.”
InDaily understands the SA Liberal Party would not support any delays to the local council elections, and would therefore not back the new bill.
An independent review of the 2026 State Election is underway after uncounted ballots were discovered following March’s polling day. The review was also investigating reports of ECSA staff having their pay delayed and claims that Aboriginal Australians were mistreated at the ballot box.
The SA Local Government Association (LGA) President Heather Holmes-Ross said the LGA did not endorse the Electoral Commission’s request, and held concerns about what a delay would mean for ratepayers.
“We have made it clear that the most important consideration for local government is that elections are conducted lawfully, competently and with the highest standards of integrity,” Homes-Ross said.
“Given councils fund the delivery of local government elections through fees charged by the Electoral Commission, we expect any additional time provided will be used to address the issues identified.
“Councils and ratepayers should not bear the financial consequences of circumstances outside their control.”
Greens leader Robert Simms said he would support the government’s legislation in principle because “no one wants to see a repeat of the controversies and the dysfunction that we’ve seen coming out of the state election”.
“This really has been a rolling saga for the people of South Australia, Neighbours, Home and Away, and now the Electoral Commission, as some of our state’s longest-running soap operas,” Simms said.
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