Local Government Minister David Templeman today called on people with diverse backgrounds and experiences to nominate to stand in the local government elections on October 19.
Mr Templeman made the call at the launch of a video campaign with the message ‘Put Yourself Forward’.
The 15-second video will run on commercial TV, radio and social media and calls on people from all walks of life – including people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, Aboriginal people, women, young people and people with a disability – who might not normally be involved in local government to nominate as candidates.
The campaign is being run by the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries in partnership with Western Australian Local Government Association, the WA Electoral Commission and the Office of Multicultural Interests.
The October 2019 local government elections are the first to be held since a series of local government reforms were recently passed by the WA Parliament.
The changes include the requirement for all candidates to now undertake a mandatory online training course prior to the elections.
The online candidate induction, along with more information for candidates and an election timetable are available on the website of the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries at https://www.dlgsc.wa.gov.au
As stated by Local Government Minister David Templeman:
“WA has a very multicultural population with Census figures showing that more than 240 languages, including Indigenous languages, are spoken in Western Australia.
“I believe that sort of diversity, knowledge and experiences should be reflected in the local governments we elect.
“The aim of this campaign is to try to ensure that local governments more accurately reflect the communities they serve.
“I always encourage people from all backgrounds to put their hand up to stand.
“Having more diversity in local government can bring many benefits including better decision-making and the ability to draw on a wider range of experiences and skills.”
