2016 Norfolk Island local election
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The 2016 Norfolk Island local election was held on 28 May 2016 to elect the Norfolk Island Regional Council, the local government body of Norfolk Island.
This was the first election for the council since the Norfolk Island Legislative Assembly was abolished in 2015 as part of the removal of Norfolk Island's semi-self-governing status.[1]
Following the election, Robin Adams was elected mayor through a vote of councillors at the formal establishment of the council on 1 July 2016.
Background[edit]
Norfolk Island Regional Council is subject to the state-level legislation of New South Wales. Unlike most local government bodies in Australia, the council delivers many Commonwealth services to residents in addition to local-level services such as land planning and emergency management.[2]
The council has five members, down from the eight members that the Assembly had.[3]
The election was conducted by the Australian Election Company and results were finalised on 31 May 2016. Unlike the previous Assembly elections, a quota was used, replacing a variation of cumulative voting known as "weighted first past the post".[4]
Results[edit]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quota | 158 | ||||
| Independent | Rod Buffett (elected 1) | 190 | 20.17 | ||
| Independent | Lisle Snell (elected 2) | 149 | 15.81 | ||
| Liberal | Dave Porter (elected 3) | 147 | 15.61 | ||
| Independent | Robin Adams (elected 5) | 107 | 11.36 | ||
| Independent | John McCoy (elected 4) | 97 | 10.30 | ||
| Independent | David Buffett | 90 | 9.55 | ||
| Independent | Lyle Tavener | 66 | 7.01 | ||
| Independent | Tim Brown | 38 | 4.03 | ||
| Independent | Kim Davies | 29 | 3.08 | ||
| Independent | Graham White | 29 | 3.08 | ||
| Total formal votes | 942 | 100.0 | |||
Aftermath[edit]
Three of the five councillors elected said they supported the work of Norfolk Island People for Democracy, which supports political self-determination for the territory. Former Chief Minister David Buffett was among the unsuccessful candidates at the election.[3][4]
On 4 February 2021, Assistant Minister for Regional Development and Territories Nola Marino suspended the council and appointed Mike Colreavy as an Interim Administrator, following the postponement of the 2020 election. On 6 December 2021, the council was formally dismissed and Colreavy became Administrator for a period of three years, with the next election scheduled to be held in 2024.[5]
References[edit]
- ^ "Norfolk Island self-government to be replaced by local council". The Guardian.
- ^ "About Council". Norfolk Island Regional Council. 9 December 2016. Retrieved 11 April 2018.
- ^ a b Strom, Marcus. "Norfolk Island elects council that supports self-determination". Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 18 June 2018.
- ^ a b "Norfolk Island Regional Council" (PDF). Australian Election Company. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 October 2023.
- ^ "Canberra dumps Norfolk Island Regional Council". RNZ.
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