To nominate to become an Elected Member (whether that be the Mayor or Councillor) you must:
- Be 18 years of age or older
- Not be disqualified from being an Elected Member under a provision of the Act
- Be an elector of the district (if you are only an elector because you are a nominee of a company then you are not eligible to stand as a candidate)
- If you are a current council member, have a term that ends on election day, unless you are standing for Mayor
- Complete the Local Government candidate induction eLearning module prior to nominating (accessed through the Department’s website)
The Western Australian Electoral Commission has developed an online system called Nomination Builder to assist candidates to complete their nomination form which includes the candidate profile. This is the preferred method of completing the nomination form and profile for the elections. Candidates must complete their nomination details and profile, print the completed form which has a reference number allocated and lodge it with the Returning Officer. The nomination builder can be accessed through this website.
Nominations are to be finalised and lodged in person with the City’s Returning Officer, who is responsible for the local government elections once the nomination period opens.
Code of conduct for candidates
The Local Government Act 1995 requires the City to adopt a code of conduct for council members (elected members), committee members and local government election candidates.
The code sets out principles and standards of behaviour candidates must observe and is intended to promote accountable and ethical conduct.
The City’s Code of Conduct reflects the mode code of conduct prescribed by the Local Government Act 1995 which includes:
- General principles to guide behaviour of candidates
- Requirements relating to behaviour of candidates
- Provisions specified to be rules of conduct for candidates.
Alleged breaches of minor behavioural matters within the code (Division three) are investigated by City, through the City’s complaint and investigation process detailed in the Code of Conduct and the City’s Complaint Investigation Policy. The complaint form for this purpose is provided below.
Alleged breaches of a rule of conduct within the code (Division four), is deemed a minor breach which is to be investigated by the Local Government Standards Panel. Further information can be found at the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries website.
A complaint about an alleged breach by a candidate cannot be dealt with by the City, unless the candidate has been elected as Councillor or Mayor.