Natalee Johnston has today resigned as Councillor, triggering a process to fill the Ward 3 vacancy for Shoalhaven City.
Cr Johnston has served on the Council since she was elected in September 2024, and she has served the community with dedication and integrity.
"Councillor Johnston has been a passionate voice on Council, and her commitment to the people of Shoalhaven, particularly during challenging times, has been unwavering," said Mayor Patricia White.
"She brought a thoughtful and community-focused approach to decision-making, and her presence will be missed," Cr White said.
"On behalf of Council and the community, I extend our sincere thanks to Natalee for her service. We wish her all the very best in her future endeavours," she said.
Council will today advise the NSW Electoral Commissioner of the vacancy requesting they commence countback of the September 2024 election results in Ward 3, to fill the vacancy in accordance with the legislative provisions.
In summary, the timeline for a countback election will be as follows:
- The Electoral Commissioner is notified of a casual vacancy.
- A Returning Officer is appointed within 14 days of the notification of the vacancy.
- Casual vacancy notices are issued within 14 days of the appointment of the returning officer.
- Where a candidate is interested, they must submit a formal application to the returning officer. The application period closes after 10 days of the notices being issued.
- The countback is conducted at least 14 days from when the vacancy notices are issued and no more than 49 days from when the casual vacancy occurred.
If there are no eligible candidates, an attendance by-election must be held. If there is only one eligible candidate, that candidate is elected. If there are multiple eligible candidates, a countback election is conducted.
Information about the countback election process is available on the website: Countback elections - NSW Electoral Commission.
