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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.
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]
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 | |||
Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | ||||
Independent | Rod Buffett | 20.17 | 190 | ||||||
Independent | Lisle Snell | 15.82 | 149 | 151 | 161 | ||||
Liberal | Dave Porter | 15.61 | 147 | 155 | 156 | 164 | |||
Independent | Robin Adams | 11.36 | 107 | 109 | 113 | 119 | 133 | 137 | |
Independent | John McCoy | 10.30 | 97 | 101 | 105 | 111 | 123 | 144 | |
Independent | David Buffett | 9.55 | 90 | 93 | 96 | 100 | 106 | 124 | |
Independent | Lyle Tavener | 7.01 | 66 | 74 | 79 | 80 | 87 | ||
Independent | Tim Brown | 4.03 | 38 | 40 | 41 | 44 | |||
Independent | Graham White | 3.08 | 29 | 31 | 36 | ||||
Independent | Kim Davies | 3.08 | 29 | 30 | |||||
Exhausted votes | 5 | 10 | 54 | ||||||
Quota: 158 |
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]
The Country Liberal Party of the Northern Territory (CLP), commonly known as the Country Liberals, is a centre-right political party in Australia's Northern Territory. In local politics, it operates in a two-party system with the Australian Labor Party (ALP). It also contests federal elections as an affiliate of the Liberal Party of Australia and National Party of Australia, the two partners in the federal coalition.
Norfolk Island is an external territory of Australia located in the Pacific Ocean between New Zealand and New Caledonia, 1,412 kilometres (877 mi) directly east of Australia's Evans Head and about 900 kilometres (560 mi) from Lord Howe Island. Together with the neighbouring Phillip Island and Nepean Island, the three islands collectively form the Territory of Norfolk Island. At the 2021 census, it had 2,188 inhabitants living on a total area of about 35 km2 (14 sq mi). Its capital is Kingston.
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The Legislative Assembly for the Australian Capital Territory is the unicameral legislature of the Australian Capital Territory (ACT). It sits in the Legislative Assembly Building on Civic Square, close to the centre of the city of Canberra.
Norfolk Island elects on territorial level a legislature. The Norfolk Island Legislative Assembly has 9 members, elected for a three-year term. The last assembly was the 14th, elected on 13 March 2013. On 17 June 2015, the Australian government abolished the assembly, ending self-government on the island. Norfolk Island Regional Council, a local government body with significantly-restricted powers, was established in July 2016 to perform local-level governance on the island.
Grant Ernest John Tambling, AM is an Australian politician. He was a member of the House of Representatives from 1980 to 1983 and then a Senator for the Northern Territory from 1987 to 2001, representing the Country Liberal Party. In federal parliament, he sat with the National Country Party, later renamed National Party. He later served as Administrator of Norfolk Island from 2003 to 2007.
A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural council, village council, or board of aldermen.
The Norfolk Island Legislative Assembly was the prime legislative body of Norfolk Island from 1979 to 2015. Formed after the Norfolk Island Act 1979 was passed in the Australian Parliament, its first members were elected on 10 August 1979. The last assembly was the 14th, elected on 13 March 2013. On 17 June 2015, the Australian Government abolished the assembly, ending self-government on the island. Norfolk Island Regional Council, a local government body instituted under New South Wales law and with significantly-restricted powers, was established in July 2016 to perform local-level governance on the island.
The states and territories are the second level of government of Australia. The states are administrative divisions that are self-governing polities that are partly sovereign, having ceded some sovereign rights to the federal government. They have their own constitutions, legislatures, executive governments, judiciaries and law enforcement agencies that administer and deliver public policies and programs. Territories can be autonomous and administer local policies and programs much like the states in practice, but are still legally subordinate to the federal government.
The Northern Territory Legislative Council was the partly elected governing body of the Northern Territory of Australia from 1947 until its replacement by the fully elected Northern Territory Legislative Assembly in 1974.
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The Norfolk Island Regional Council is the local government body of Norfolk Island, an island territory of Australia in the south Pacific Ocean. It is subject to the state-level legislation of New South Wales.
Robin Eleanor Adams is a Norfolk Islander politician. Adams was elected to the Norfolk Island Legislative Assembly in 2010, becoming the body's first female speaker. When the assembly was dissolved five years later, she became a member of the Norfolk Island Regional Council and was elected as mayor of the island, a position she held until the entire council was dismissed in 2021.
The 2024 Norfolk Island local election is expected to be held on 14 September 2024 to elect the Norfolk Island Regional Council, the local government body of Norfolk Island.
The 2020 Norfolk Island local election was scheduled to be held on 14 November 2020 to elect the Norfolk Island Regional Council, the local government body of Norfolk Island. It was later postponed until March 2021, however the council was suspended in February 2021 and eventually dismissed later that year.