Response to legislation deferring local government elections until 2027

Comments attributable to LGA South Australia President, Mayor Heather Holmes-Ross:

LGA acknowledges the Attorney-General and Special Minister of State’s decision to introduce legislation to defer the 2026 local government elections until April 2027, following the Electoral Commission's unprecedented request for additional time to prepare for the election.

LGA's position remains consistent with the advice previously provided to the Attorney-General.

While we have not endorsed the Electoral Commission's request, we have made it clear that the most important consideration for local government is that elections are conducted lawfully, competently and with the highest standards of integrity.

Feedback from across the local government sector has been mixed, with many councils and elected members holding strong views on the proposal.

We recognise that all councils have been planning and preparing for November 2026 elections for a considerable period and have already invested significant time, resources and funding into election readiness.

LGA will now carefully review the legislation. We understand the Bill is likely to address a number of the governance, operational and technical issues raised by LGA in its correspondence to the Attorney-General, and we will provide further input as required through the parliamentary process.

Integrity in elections underpins our democracy, and councils, candidates and communities must be able to have confidence that local government elections can be delivered properly.

Given councils fund the delivery of local government elections through fees charged by the Electoral Commission, we expect any additional time provided will be used to address the issues identified. Councils and ratepayers should not bear the financial consequences of circumstances outside their control.

Any additional costs arising from the election deferral, including costs associated with Electoral Commission resourcing or operational issues, should not be passed on to ratepayers.

LGA has repeatedly warned about the challenges associated with delivering local and state elections in the same year. The Acting Electoral Commissioner’s advice confirms this and highlights the significant pressures that can arise and it is unsurprising that we have now reached this tipping point.

We acknowledge the impact any election deferral may have on elected members, particularly those who had planned for their term to conclude in November 2026. Some elected members may have already made personal decisions regarding their future participation in local government based on the current election timetable.

As the legislation is introduced in parliament, LGA will continue to advocate for arrangements that enable councils to set budgets, undertake strategic decision-making and continue delivering services to their communities without unnecessary disruption.