January 2020 Inform
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Etheridge Shire Council Inform Newsletter www.etheridge.qld.gov.au Edition 1, January 2020 The Australia Day Awards Winners Mrs Terry Ann Cranwell Chase Tansey Kristy Bethel Alana Young Lexus Melbourne Cup Tour to Georgetown MESSAGE FROM THE MAYOR A hearty hi to all…. Well the New Year is well and truly in full swing and I can’t believe the first month is nearly over! I trust you all enjoyed your break (if you got one that is!) and wish all of you all the best in this New Year. It is fantastic to see some rainfall within the Shire after months of enduring the impressive heat. It has been welcomed by all and especially those who battled fires during November and December last year and the early part of January. Council has submitted an application to the Minister for Fire & Emergency Services seeking and requesting a declaration for the Etheridge Shire under the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA) for Category B & C assistance for the recent fires. A quick update on the Charleston Dam in regards to the wet season. The contractors were successful in completing the keyway preparation works (clay core) within the main waterway, also constructing a main embankment approx. 8m high then constructing a temporary spillway on the left hand side looking downstream. This temporary spillway has been constructed from compacted general fill, geofabric then rock armored. This has been designed to divert the water during the wet season. Construction will recommence after the wet season around the beginning of April. ESC crews are all back at work, continuing the restoration roadworks throughout our shire. I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate our 2020 Australia Day Award recipients and also a big thank you to the Einasleigh Progress Association for hosting the 2020 Australia Day on behalf of Council and the community. Australia Day Citizen of the Year – Mrs Terry Ann Cranwell Australia Day Young Citizen of the Year – Chase Tansey Australia Day Organisation of the Year – Georgetown Bush Races – Lexus Melbourne Cup Tour to Georgetown Australia Day Senior Sports Medallion – Kristy Bethel Australia Day 2020 Mayoral Award – Alana Young Wishing everyone a healthy and prosperous 2020. Take care when driving during this wet season. Until next month, Warren Devlin | Mayor FROM THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER DESK Welcome back everyone, and the start of a new decade. I hope you all enjoyed spending Christmas and New Year with family and friends and I hope you didn’t over indulge in Christmas pudding. Resuming work after a relaxing break can be quite an interestingly challenging experience. In those few days/weeks after getting back to work, the day never seems to end, and you make extra demands on your mind and body to live in the moment, and on that note I would like to welcome back the staff of Etheridge Shire to the sweet comfort of work! I know you have missed it. 2020 QUADRENNIAL LOCAL GOVERNMENT ELECTIONS This week I received correspondence from the Department of Local Government, Racing & Multicultural Affairs in relation to the upcoming Quadrennial Local Government Elections. The details of this correspondence is summarised below: Proposed election dates The Electoral Commission of Queensland has now published proposed key election dates. Candidate nominations will open with the Notice of Election on Saturday 22 February 2020 and close at midday on Tuesday 3 March 2020. For more information about the proposed election dates visit the ECQ website. https://www.ecq.qld.gov.au/elections/election-events/2020-local-government- elections Election disclosure reforms in effect On 20 January 2020, changes to the Local Government Electoral Act 2011 come into effect for real-time disclosures of electoral donations and campaign expenditure including: improved real-time donation disclosures improved disclosures of real donation and gift sources real-time expenditure disclosures requirement for candidates to submit one-off transitional returns to the ECQ by 3 February 2020. The changes are part of the Queensland Government's rolling reform agenda to improve equity, transparency, integrity and accountability in the system of local government and elections in Queensland. If you are a candidate running for council in March 2020, it is recommended you visit the ECQ website to check that your details are up to date and ensure you know your disclosure and other election requirements. https://www.ecq.qld.gov.au/donations-and-gift-disclosure/disclosure-of-political- donations/published-disclosure-returns More information For more details about legislation covering candidate election requirements you can: view the How to stand for election web page (http://www.dlgrma.qld.gov.au/so- you-want-to-be-a-councillor/how-to-stand-for-election.html) view candidate fact sheets on the Resources for councillors and candidates page (https://www.dlgrma.qld.gov.au/resources/councillors-and- candidates.html) visit the ECQ website. (https://www.ecq.qld.gov.au/candidates-and-parties/candidates) Reminder – mandatory training If you are a candidate and haven’t already, complete the mandatory candidate training now. (http://www.dlgrma.qld.gov.au/so-you-want-to-be-a-councillor.html) Key election dates There are several stages to the election process. The proposed dates for the key stages of the 2020 local government elections are listed below. These dates are subject to change and will be formally confirmed upon publication of the Notice of Election. 22 February – Notice of Election The ECQ proposes to publish the Notice of Election on Saturday, 22 February 2020. The caretaker period for all councils will start upon publication of the notice on the ECQ’s website. For more information about the caretaker period, please see the Department of Local Government, Racing and Multicultural Affairs website. 22 February to 3 March – Candidate nominations Nominations for candidates for election as mayors and councillors will be open from the publication of the Notice of Election on 22 February, until midday on Tuesday, 3 March 2020. Details of candidates will be published on the ECQ’s website. New requirements apply for candidates, political parties, third party campaigners and political donors for the 2020 local government elections. For more information, see Candidate requirements – 2020 local government elections. 28 February 2020 – Close of electoral roll Electors have until 5pm, 28th February 2020 to either update their enrolment to a new name or address or to enrol for the first time. This will ensure their eligibility to vote in this election. 4 March 2020 – Ballot paper draw The ECQ will conduct a random draw to determine the order in which candidates appear on ballot papers on Wednesday, 4 March 2020. 4 March to 19 March 2020 – How-to-vote card review The ECQ must accept all how-to-vote cards before they can be distributed to voters during local government elections. The ECQ will review candidates’ how-to-vote cards from Wednesday, 4 March to Thursday, 19 March 2020. How-to-vote cards accepted by the ECQ will be available on the ECQ’s website. 16 March 2020 – Postal Vote applications close Postal vote applications close at 7pm Monday, 16 March 2020. Voting must be completed by 6pm on Election Day. The ECQ must receive your postal vote no later than 5pm Tuesday, 7 April 2020. Please note that we are unable to send postal votes until after the ballot paper draw on Wednesday, 4 March 2020. From 16 March 2020 – Early voting commences Early voting will be conducted between 16 March and Friday, 27 March 2020. The timeframes for early voting will vary in different locations, and detailed information about early voting times will be published on the ECQ’s website prior to the election. 28 March 2020 – Election day Election day is on Saturday, 28 March 2020, and polling booths will be open from 8.00am to 6.00pm. Counting and declaration of results The day after Election Day, the ECQ will start the official vote count and publish results on the ECQ website. The official count process can take up to 10 days for postal votes to be returned. Election results for individual councils will be declared progressively. For more information, see how are the votes counted? 13 July 2020 – Election summary returns due Candidates, groups of candidates, registered political parties and associated entities must give the ECQ an election summary return detailing gifts or loans received and electoral expenditure incurred during the election disclosure period. This return must be lodged within 15 weeks of Election Day which, for the 2020 local government elections, will be Monday, 13 July 2020. For more information about disclosure obligations, please see Disclosure of political donations and Handbooks, fact sheets and forms for candidates and parties. Full postal ballot councils Under the Local Government Electoral Act 2011, councils may apply to the Minister for Local Government for an election to be conducted only by postal ballot, either for the full local government area (full postal ballots), or part of the area (hybrid ballots). The ECQ provides recommendations to the Minister, who decides which councils may conduct full postal or hybrid ballots. The Minister for Local Government has approved that Etheridge Shire will be via a full postal ballot for the 2020 local government elections: Council Type of Voting Etheridge Shire Full postal ballot Council Information for voters Before the elections, voters are encouraged to: Ensure your enrolment details are up-to-date. To enrol to vote or update your enrolment details, see Enrol to vote or visit the Australian Electoral Commission’s website. Check your local government area and division or ward (for divided councils). For local government elections, you must vote within the local government area you are enrolled in.