South Australians have just a few days left to have their say on the future of local government – and submit their ideas to reform the sector, from compulsory voting and term limits to increasing councillors’ allowances or lowering the voting age.

The Local Government Participation and Elections Review is looking at bold and innovative ways to boost voter turnout and tackle consistently low engagement – only about 33 per cent of South Australians vote in their local council elections.

Ratepayers and councils have until Thursday 28 March to provide feedback on changes they want to see and ensure better community representation and engagement across the sector.

In the five months of extensive consultation so far, the biggest call for change has been introducing term limits for councillors – more than half of individual respondents (51.4 per cent) are in favour, although opinions are divided on what that limit, ranging from two to four, fixed four-year terms, should be.

Compulsory voting continues to attract support – about half (49.8 per cent) back the idea, 20 per cent are against it and the remainder have mixed views. SA is one of only two states that maintains voluntary voting in council elections, along with WA.

Timing of council elections is another hot topic – suggestions include a two-year gap from state elections to follow the same alternating pattern as the Summer and Winter Olympics to combat voter fatigue, while one-in-four of those surveyed want both elections to be held on the same day to maximise turnout.

Other potential gamechangers include:

• Removing wards to provide voters a greater choice of candidates and offset varying voter participation rates across different wards in the same council.
• Seeking boundary reform where not enough people run to fill all council positions at election time, particularly in smaller council areas.
• Increasing allowances to better compensate councillors for their time amid rising workloads and encourage more candidates to put their names forward.
• Lowering the voting age to 16 to get young people interested in what role councils play and help them shape the future of their communities.

Launched in October, more than 7000 people have visited the YourSAy website, with the review’s Discussion Paper downloaded nearly 1300 times and over 400 online surveys and written submissions already completed.

Discussions have been further fuelled on social media, as hundreds of comments reflect a common desire for more transparency and accessibility within councils.

20 metropolitan and regional councils have contributed to the review – a figure expected to rise over the coming week. Other councils have also made submissions to the Local Government Association as part of its upcoming sector-wide response.

The Minister for Local Government launched this review following the 2022 council elections when 93 positions were filled without an election even being held, resulting in the lowest proportion of elections held for vacant positions since 2006.

In addition, supplementary elections were needed in nine council areas after failing to receive enough nominations – the highest number required since, at least, the elections held in 2000.

There is still time to submit your ideas at yoursay.sa.gov.au/council-participation-elections before consultation closes this Thursday, 28 March 2024.

Outcomes of the review will be made public mid-year ahead of any proposed legislative reform.

Quotes

Attributable to Geoff Brock

We’ve heard plenty of bold, innovative and even controversial ideas to reform the local government sector, and there’s still time to have your say.

Having seen just one-in-three South Australians voting across 20 years of council elections, we know changes are needed to better connect people to their councils and reverse this historically poor turnout.

I launched this review to generate debate and create a more inclusive, representative and engaged council system that truly reflects the voices of our diverse communities.

If you care about the decisions that councils make on residents’ behalf about local services, facilities and rates, get involved and help shape the future of local government.

Attributable to Local Government Association President, Mayor Dean Johnson

Councils are constantly engaging with their communities to better understand how they can serve their needs.

Good decision-making needs diversity in the council chamber and achieving this means more people enrolling in elections, more people nominating to run for council and more people voting.

This review looks at how councils connect with communities - not just at council election time, but throughout the entire council term - and it's an opportunity for South Australians to have their say.

With just a few days left this is an opportunity for everyone to share their ideas on how to increase voter turnout or discuss the way councils engage with their local residents and businesses.