2024 NSW Council elections

and getting animals on the agenda.

The NSW local government council elections have been scheduled for Saturday 14 September 2024. These elections will allow voters to elect Councillors for a four year term. 126 of the 128 NSW council elections will be managed by the NSW Electoral Commission, while Fairfield City Council and Liverpool City Council have chosen to engage a commercial election provider. Some councils will also be holding mayoral elections, constitutional referendums and/or polls. Voting is compulsory at all NSW local government elections except for council polls, so ensuring your enrolment details are up to date is important. 

Many people don’t realise that many of the decisions that impact the welfare and wellbeing of animals are made at local government council level, either through council policies or administrative decisions by staff, or through councillor decisions at council meetings. 

How do local government councils and councillor decisions impact animal welfare and wellbeing?

As the third tier of government, NSW councils’ have a close connection with their local community and play an enormously important role in how local government area’s (‘LGAs’) regard and treat all animal species. Progressive councillors who are compassionate and receptive to clear public expectations about animal welfare and wellbeing, as well as related environmental considerations, can go a long way to improving the quality of life and outcomes for all animals. You can play a vital role in educating and imparting knowledge to all councillor candidates to ensure the best group of councillors is elected to champion the causes we all care about.     

How you can play a crucial role during the NSW council elections. 

In the period leading up to 14 September, current councillors who have nominated to run again and new councillor candidates will be announced. These councillor candidates will declare their allegiance to a political party or their independence, and the platforms and positions they will advocate for and support. Most council election periods provide opportunities for local communities to raise matters important to you, ask questions, and raise the profile of animal welfare and wellbeing, including environmental and habitat considerations. This may include a public forum, in your local media, or one-on-one with individual councillor candidates.

What you can do and how you can participate.

  • Attend a councillor briefing session and ask questions.

  • Email, write to or phone your local council candidates.

  • Submit a letter to your local paper or call your local radio station.

Questions you can ask, and topics you can raise.

    1. If elected, what will you do to improve council’s companion animal pound, and what is your knowledge about council’s performance with the care of impounded animals and life-saving initiatives, or compliance with the legislation?

    2. If elected, would you support a council policy governing council's management of its local companion animal pound, including any non-companion animals who may be lost, surrendered or abandoned?

    3. If elected, what initiatives will you support to reduce the kill rates of healthy and adoptable animals in council’s pound?

    4. If elected, what will you do to support and strengthen council partnerships with animal rescue organisations to facilitate the rehoming and adoption of abandoned or stray animals?

    5. If elected, how will you engage constructively with volunteers in the rescue and rehoming of companion and other animals?

    6. Are you familiar with Animal Liberation’s Pound and Shelter petition asks?


    1. If elected, will you support a dedicated and transparent council committee focused on community animal welfare and wellbeing matters?

    2. If elected, what proactive and progressive policies will you support or introduce about the sentience of animals and how council activities and decisions need to consider animal sentience, including the use of live animals on council managed land?

    3. If elected, will you support any events, including those funded by community grant money or sponsorships, practices or industries that exploit or harm animals, such as animal circuses, rodeos, petting zoos, intensive animal agriculture, greyhound or thoroughbred horse racing?

    4. If elected, what actions will you take to raise the profile of animal welfare within council’s LGA?

    5. If elected, what specific policies or initiatives would you support or introduce to balance the rights of tenants to keep companion animals?

    6. If elected, what protocols will you introduce to ensure the humane treatment of all animals during emergencies, including environmental disasters, such as bushfires and floods?

    1. If elected, will you commit to banning any council use of lethal poisons, chemicals or control programs and techniques to manage wildlife populations?

    2. If elected, will you introduce a council policy promoting the use of non-lethal methods as a first preference when managing wildlife populations?

    3. If elected, what initiatives will you introduce to protect native fauna and flora?

    1. If elected, what actions will you take to address the impact of urban development on local wildlife habitat?

    2. If elected, will you support a strategy and plans to increase urban green spaces and promote the use of native plant species in public and private landscaping? What will you do to encourage and promote, this strategy and corresponding plans?

    3. If elected, will you introduce ‘animal welfare’ as a key component in council’s Local Environment Plan and any Development Control Plan, to ensure animal welfare is considered in all applicable planning assessments and decisions, as outlined in Animal Liberation’s call to reform NSW’s planning laws.

    4. If elected, how will you ensure council implements the revised proposed Biodiversity Offsets Scheme in all local planning development assessments and decisions?

    1. If elected, what is your vision for council’s approach to animal welfare and environmental considerations in your community, and how will you prioritise these considerations in all council decisions?

    2. If elected, how will you ensure that animal welfare and environmental considerations are integrated into broader community planning and development initiatives?

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

A bit more about local government councils, how they function and who they are accountable to.

After the Commonwealth and State or Territory Governments’, Local Government is often referred to as the “third tier” of government. They are ‘self-governing’ and exercise enormous power; in NSW, the Local Government Act 1993 and Local Government Act (General) Regulation 2021 outlines the purpose, principles and functions for local government councils’ and the Act specifically sets out:

(a) to provide the legal framework for the system of local government for New South Wales,

(b) to set out the responsibilities and powers of councils, councillors and other persons and bodies that constitute the system of local government,

(c) to provide for governing bodies of councils that are democratically elected,

(d) to facilitate engagement with the local community by councils, councillors and other persons and bodies that constitute the system of local government, 

(e) to provide for a system of local government that is accountable to the community and that is sustainable, flexible and effective.

General Managers (GM’s) of Councils are responsible for the day-to-day operations and Council’s ‘Delivery Program’. They are appointed by elected councillors on a fixed term contract. Councillors also oversee the GM’s performance and, under established guidelines from the NSW Office of Local Government, determine their remuneration.

Each NSW council must have at least 5 and not more than 15 Councillors (including a Mayor). Neither the Mayor nor elected councillors hold an executive role. Rather, they are expected to represent the community with their LGA. The elected Mayor is a figurehead and undertakes a leadership role, while all councillors are accountable to the local community for the performance of the council. The role of all councillors includes: 

a)  to be an active and contributing member of the governing body, 

(b)  to make considered and well-informed decisions as a member of the governing body, 

(c)  to participate in the development of the integrated planning and reporting framework, 

(d)  to represent the collective interests of residents, ratepayers and the local community, 

(e)  to facilitate communication between the local community and the governing body, 

(f)  to uphold and represent accurately the policies and decisions of the governing body,

(g)  to make all reasonable efforts to acquire and maintain the skills necessary to perform the role of a councillor.

We’re here to help!

If you have further questions or need some support, you can contact our Regional Campaigns Manager,

Lisa Ryan at lisa.r@animal-lib.org.au