2012 New South Wales local elections

The 2012 New South Wales local elections were held on 8 September 2012 to elect the councils of 150 of the 152 local government areas (LGAs) of New South Wales. Several councils also held mayoral elections and/or referendums.[1]

2012 New South Wales local elections
8 September 2012
  First party Second party Third party
 
IND
Leader N/A Barry O'Farrell John Robertson
Party Independents Liberal Labor
Seats won 927 172 152
Popular vote 1,306,350 748,349 656,552
Percentage 38.14% 21.85% 19.17%
  Fourth party Fifth party Sixth party
 
UNI
LDP
Leader No leader No leader John Humphreys
Party Greens Unity LDP
Seats before 0
Seats won 38 3 2
Seat change Increase 2
Popular vote 228,708 15,005 10,492
Percentage 6.68% 0.44% 0.31%

The elections were conducted by the New South Wales Electoral Commission, with the exception of 14 councils who chose to conduct their own elections.[1]

No elections were held in Shellharbour or Wollongong as electors had voted a year prior in 2011, following the sackings of both councils in 2008.[2][3]

The Liberal Party chose not to contest the elections in Fairfield and Penrith, leading to Liberal councillors running as Independent Liberals.[4][5]

More than 16 wards across the state were uncontested.[6]

Parties

The following registered parties contested this election. This does not include groups of independents:

In addition, a number of local government-registered parties also contested the elections.[7]

Party changes before elections
CouncilWardCouncillorFormer partyNew partyDate
Newcastle Ward 4 Mike Jackson   Labor   Independent 16 February 2011
Newcastle Ward 4 Mike Jackson   Independent   Liberal 15 April 2011
Uralla Ward A Isabel Strutt   Christian Democrats   Independent 2012

Results
Party Votes  % Swing Seats Change
  Independents 1,306,350 38.14 927
  Liberal 748,349 21.85 172
  Labor 656,552 19.17 152
  Greens 228,708 6.68 38
  Independent Liberal 132,756 3.87 33
  Independent National 33,882 0.99 15
  Your Warringah 33,757 0.98 5
  Clover Moore Independent Team 30,352 0.89 4 Decrease 1
  Independent Lake Alliance 26,242 0.77 4
  Shire Watch Independents 20,654 0.60 1
  Independent Labor 16,061 0.47 11
  Unity 15,005 0.44 3
  Christian Democrats 14,032 0.41 0
  Save Tuggerah Lakes 11,465 0.33 2
  Shoalhaven Independents 11,171 0.33 3
  Liberal Democrats 10,492 0.31 2 Increase 2
  Holroyd Independents 8,567 0.25 2
  Eurobodalla Ratepayers Action 8,059 0.23 4
  Lorraine Wearne 7,914 0.23 2
  Residents First Woollahra 7,502 0.22 5
  Totally Locally Committed 7,364 0.21 2
  Liverpool Community Independents 7,363 0.21 1
  Australia First 6,421 0.19 1 Increase 1
  Paramatta Independents 5,628 0.17 0
  Living Sydney 5,524 0.17 +0.17 1 Increase 1
  Community First 5,386 0.16 1
  Residents Action For Auburn 4,960 0.14 2
  Building Australia 4,448 0.13 +0.13 0 Steady
  No Parking Meters 4,446 0.13 0 Decrease 1
  Bob Thompson 4,140 0.12 1
  Serving Mosman 4,128 0.12 2
  Woodville Independents 4,118 0.12 0
  Community Service Environment 3,977 0.12 1
  Democratic Labor 3,700 0.11 1
  Manly Independents 3,609 0.10 2
  Burwood Community Voice 3,559 0.10 1
  Residents For Mosman 3,155 0.09 1
  Our Sustainable Future 2,792 0.08 2
  Albury Citizens and Ratepayers 2,751 0.08 1
  Parramatta Better Local Government 2,602 0.07 0
  Communist 2,352 0.07 1 Increase 1
  Sex Party 2,149 0.06 +0.06 0 Steady
  Save Our State 888 0.02 0
  Kogarah Residents 804 0.02 0 Steady
  Socialist Alliance 724 0.02 0 Steady
  Protectionist 256 0.01 0 Steady
  Family First 126 0.01 0 Steady
  Democrats 103 0.01 0 Steady
 Total 3,425,343 100.00 – – –

Aftermath

The Liberal Democrats had their first-ever electoral victories, with Jeff Pettett and Clinton Mead elected to Ku-ring-gai Council and Campbelltown City Council respectively.

The election of Tony Oldfield to Auburn City Council remains the only time the present-day Communist Party of Australia had had an electoral win.

Australia First councillor Maurice Girotto left the party in 2013 to sit as an independent, before joining the Christian Democrats in March 2016.[8]

Following the elections, major changes occurred as a result of the enactment of the Local Government (Areas) Act 1948 and as a result of a review by the NSW Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART) that commenced in 2013. On 12 May 2016, following a further review by the Minister for Local Government and the independent Local Government Boundaries Commission, Premier Mike Baird announced Stage 1 starting with 19 new councils, through amalgamations and mergers, with immediate effect. The Minister indicated in principle support to create a further nine new councils, subject to the decision of the courts.[9][10] On the same day, the Governor of New South Wales acted on the advice of the Minister, and proclaimed the 19 new local government areas. Another proclamation occurred a few months later with the amalgamation of City of Botany Bay and City of Rockdale.[11]

This resulted in 79 councils being contested in 2016 and 46 in 2017, before the vast majority contested together again in 2021.

By-elections

The New South Wales Electoral Commission held a number of by-elections to fill vacancies on councils after the 2012 elections up until 2016.[12]

Council Ward Before Change Result after preference distribution
Councillor Party Cause Date Date Party Candidate %
Hurstville Hurstville 15 March 2014 Labor Brent Thomas 57.59
Liberal Tim Feng[lower-alpha 1] 30.44
Woollahra Double Bay 15 March 2014 Liberal James Keulemans 55.80
Residents First Anne Crooks[lower-alpha 1] 25.25
Willoughby Sailors Bay Gail Giles-Gidney Independent Liberal Elected as mayor 12 April 2014 14 June 2014 Independent Rachel Hill 64.79
Independent Vache Kahramanian[lower-alpha 1] 22.51
Brewarrina Unsubdivided Jeanette Barker Independent Death March 2014 21 June 2014 Independent Bill Loughnan 56.48
Independent Tommy Stanton 43.52
Leichhardt Birrabirragal/Balmain Melinda Manikas Liberal Death 8 May 2014 2 August 2014 Independent John Stamolis 60.61
Labor Aaron Di Pietro 39.39
Woollahra Double Bay 23 August 2014 Independent John Doyle N/A
Elected unopposed
Cobar Unsubdivided 23 August 2014 Independent Peter Abbott 85.80
Independent Peter Florance 14.20
Marrickville West Emanuel Tsardoulias Labor Death 19 August 2014 23 August 2014 Labor Daniel Barbar 50.08
Greens Justine Langford[lower-alpha 1] 33.05
Blue Mountains First Ward 15 November 2014 Labor Sarah Shrubb 53.71
Greens Kerry Brown 46.29
Blue Mountains Second Ward 15 November 2014 Labor Victoria Arney 53.01
Independent Rob Thompson 46.99
Clarence Valley Unsubdivided 21 February 2015 Independent Arthur Lysaught N/A
Elected unopposed
Newcastle Ward 3 21 February 2015 Labor Declan Clausen 53.15
Independent Kath Elliott 46.85
Ryde East 21 February 2015 Liberal Jane Stott 52.77
Labor Penny Pedersen 47.23
Wakool Ward B 5 March 2016 Independent David Landini N/A
Elected unopposed
Wakool Ward C Colin Membrey Independent Resignation December 2015 5 March 2016 No candidate declared elected
Wakool Ward C N/A N/A No candidate elected 5 March 2016 9 April 2016 Independent Alan Mathers 69.06
Independent Christine Dartnell 30.94

Notes
  1. Second-placed on primary vote as the by-election did not require preference distribution.

References
  1. "NSW LOCAL GOVERNMENT ELECTION RESULTS 2012". New South Wales Electoral Commission.
  2. "Shellharbour is latest to join the ranks of sacked councils". Sydney Morning Herald. 10 July 2008.
  3. "Enough evidence to sack Shellharbour Council: inquiry". ABC News. 12 June 2008.
  4. "City of Fairfield election, 2016". The Tally Room. 25 August 2016.
  5. "City of Penrith election, 2016". The Tally Room. 31 August 2016.
  6. "NSW council election – statewide results". The Tally Room. 14 September 2016.
  7. "Local government register of political parties". New South Wales Electoral Commission.
  8. "Girotto quits Australia First". The Weekend Westener. 3 November 2013.
  9. "Introduction". Stronger Councils. Government of New South Wales. 12 May 2016. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
  10. "New councils for NSW". Family & Community Services (Press release). Government of New South Wales. 12 May 2016. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
  11. "Local Government (Council Amalgamations) Proclamation 2016" (PDF). Stronger Councils. Government of New South Wales. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
  12. "Local government election results". New South Wales Electoral Commission.
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