The 2021 New South Wales local elections were held on 4 December 2021 to elect the councils of 121 of the 128

local government areas A local government area (LGA) is an administrative division of a country that a local government is responsible for. The size of an LGA varies by country but it is generally a subdivision of a state, province, division, or territory. The ph ...

(LGAs) in

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

. Several councils also held mayoral elections and/or

referendums A referendum, plebiscite, or ballot measure is a direct vote by the electorate (rather than their representatives) on a proposal, law, or political issue. A referendum may be either binding (resulting in the adoption of a new policy) or advis ...

. Previous referendums took three net councillors in three LGAS: Cabonne, Coonamble and

Dungog Dungog is a country town on the Williams River in the Hunter region and a small part of the Mid North Coast region of New South Wales, Australia. Located in the middle of dairy and timber country, it is the centre of the Dungog Shire Local Go ...

. The

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...

did not run in

Kiama Kiama may refer to: * Electoral district of Kiama, a seat in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly * Kiama, New South Wales, a town * Kiama (spider), a genus of spiders *Municipality of Kiama The Municipality of Kiama is a local government ar ...

North Sydney North Sydney is a suburb and commercial district on the Lower North Shore of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. And is the administrative centre for the local government area of North Sydney Council. History The Indigenous people on the s ...

Shoalhaven The City of Shoalhaven is a local government area in the South Coast region of New South Wales, Australia. The area is about south of Sydney. The Princes Highway passes through the area, and the South Coast railway line traverses the norther ...

, however a number of party members chose to contest as independents.

Background

Following the 2012 elections, the ''

Local Government (Areas) Act 1948 Local Government (Areas) Act 1948 was a landmark New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensl ...

'' was introduced, leading to the amalgamations and mergers of a number of councils. This resulted in 79 councils being contested in

2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...

and 46

2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...

. 2021 marked the first time in 9 years that the vast majority of councils were being contested at the same time. The elections were scheduled to be held in September 2020, but as a result of the

COVID-19 pandemic in Australia The COVID-19 pandemic in Australia was a part of the COVID-19 pandemic, worldwide pandemic of the coronavirus disease 2019 () caused by SARS-CoV-2, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first confirmed case in Aust ...

they were delayed until 4 September 2021. On 24 July 2021, it was announced the elections would again be delayed until 4 December 2021. Two councils − Fairfield and Penrith − opted to use the services of the Australian Election Company, while all other elections were conducted by the

New South Wales Electoral Commission The New South Wales Electoral Commission, known as the NSWEC or the NSW Electoral Commission is a statutory agency with responsibility for the administration, organisation, and supervision of elections in New South Wales. It reports to the NS ...

. The election for Norfolk Island Regional Council, which was meant to be held at the same time as New South Wales, was also postponed in

2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...

. It was later scheduled to be held in March 2021, however the council was suspended in February 2021 and eventually dismissed on 6 December 2021. Lead Greens candidate for

Orange Orange most often refers to: *Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis'' ** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower ** Orange juice *Orange (colour), the color of an orange fruit, occurs between red and yellow in the vi ...

, Melanie McDonell, announced on 21 May 2021 she would leave the Greens and stand on a "McDonell Team"

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States * Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...

ticket.

Political parties

The following registered parties contested the elections. This does not include unregistered groups of independents: *

Animal Justice Party The Animal Justice Party (AJP) is a political party in Australia founded in 2009 by Steve Garlick. The party was registered by the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) on 3 May 2011. The party is also registered in New South Wales, Queenslan ...

* Greens * Labor Party * Liberal Democrats *

Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party The Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party (SFF) is a Conservatism, conservative List of political parties in Australia, Australian political party. It primarily advocates for increased funding and services for rural and regional Australia, protec ...

* Socialist Alliance *

Sustainable Australia Party The Sustainable Australia Party (SAP), officially registered as Sustainable Australia Party – Universal Basic Income, is an Australian political party that was formed in 2010. History The party has been registered federally since 2010. It was ...

The Small Business Party The Small Business Party (SBP) is a political party in New South Wales, Australia. Their party advocates for the small business sector. The party was founded in 2017 by Angela Vithoulkas, a City of Sydney councillor and café-operator. The p ...

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

Party changes before elections

A number of councillors joined or left parties before the 2021 elections.

Results

Council totals

Referendums and polls

In addition to the local elections, eight LGAs held referendums on questions relating to electoral structures. An advisory poll on de-amalgamation was also held for

Inner West The Inner West of Sydney is an area directly west of the Sydney central business district, New South Wales, Australia. The suburbs that make up the Inner West are predominantly located along the southern shore of Port Jackson (Parramatta River) ...

. The closest result was in

Wagga Wagga Wagga Wagga (; informally called Wagga) is a major regional city in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia. Straddling the Murrumbidgee River, with an urban population of more than 57,003 as of 2021, it is an important agricultural, m ...

, where 50.6% voted "No" to directly-electing the mayor.

Aftermath

Elected councillors

Logan Collins was elected to Cootamundra–Gundagai Regional Council at the age of 18, becoming the youngest local councillor in New South Wales history.

iVote crash and re-runs

Analysis commissioned by the NSWEC found 55 voters in Singleton, 54 in

Shellharbour Shellharbour (also known as Shellharbour Village) is a suburb located in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia. It also gives its name to the local government area, City of Shellharbour, and its central business district, Shellha ...

and 34 voters in Kempsey who attempted to use iVote were prevented from casting their vote. As a result, re-runs were ordered by the Supreme Court of NSW which were held on 30 July 2022 and iVote was not used for the 2023 state election.

By-elections and countbacks

The

has held a number of

by-elections A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, or a bypoll in India, is an election used to fill an office that has become vacant between general elections. A vacancy may arise as a result of an incumben ...

and countbacks to fill vacancies on councils since the 2021 elections. Countbacks were introduced in January 2022 for council vacancies across the state, although by-elections are still used for some councils.

By-elections

Countbacks

Notes

References

{{New South Wales elections *1

Elections An election is a formal group decision-making process whereby a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has operated ...

Local elections in New South Wales