DO I HAVE TO VOTE?
If you live in Shellharbour or Wollongong Local Government Areas and are enrolled to vote, you are required to vote on September 9.
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If you have voted at a pre-poll location or submitted a postal vote, you do not need to vote again.
Kiama residents do not have an election this year.
Scroll down for a who’s who of candidates and what they stand for.
Keep up to date with rolling coverage on election day at www.illawarramercury.com.au
WHAT AM I VOTING FOR?
SHELLHARBOUR LGA
If you live in Shellharbour, you will be voting to elect seven councillors for the next three-year term.
There are no wards in Shellharbour, so you're going to be casting a vote to elect people to represent the whole area.
However, this year, you'll also vote in a referendum over whether the mayor should be a publicly elected position, like in Wollongong, and whether the city should have wards.
The two 2017 referendum questions are:
- Do you favour the election of the Mayor by the voters of Shellharbour City for a four year term which necessitates an increase in the number of Councillors by One (1)? This will result in a total of nine (9) elected representatives made up of one (1) mayor and eight (8) councillors. (Answer: Yes or No)
- Currently the Shellharbour Local Government Area has no ward structure. Do you favour the Shellharbour Local Government Area being comprised of wards? (Answer: Yes or No)
WOLLONGONG LGA
If you live in the Wollongong City Council area, you’re going to be voting for two things – the Lord Mayor, and your ward councillors.
The city of Wollongong goes from Helenburgh to Windang (or to Haywards Bay, inland).
It is divided into three wards, each with four councillors, and then the Lord Mayor makes up the 13th councillor.
For a map CLICK HERE.
Ward 1 comprises Helensburgh down to around the Fairy Meadow and the Balgownie area.
Ward 2 takes in most of the central suburbs, including parts of Fairy Meadow and Mount Pleasant, Mount Keira, Mount Kembla, Cordeaux Heights, Unanderra, Mangerton and central Wollongong.
Ward 3 is the southernmost ward and includes some parts of Unanderra, Cringila, Port Kembla, Warrawong, Berkeley, Primbee, Windang, all of Dapto and Yallah.
WHERE DO I GO TO VOTE?
SHELLHARBOUR
- Albion Park High School
- Albion Park Public School
- Albion Park Rail Public School
- Balarang Public School
- Barrack Heights Public School
- Flinders Public School (full wheelchair access)
- Lake Illawarra High School
- Mount Terry Primary School
- Mount Warrigal Public School
- Oak Flats Neighbourhood Centre Hall
- Shell Cove Public School (full wheelchair access)
- Shellharbour City Centre Anglican Church
- Shellharbour Public School
- Sydney Town Hall
- Warilla High School
- Warilla North Community Centre
- Warilla Surf Life Saving Club
NORTHERN ILLAWARRA (Ward 1):
- Austinmer Anglican Church
- Balgownie Public School
- Balgownie Village Community Centre
- Bulli Police and Citizens Youth Club (PCYC)
- Bulli Public School
- Coledale Public School
- Corrimal District Library and Community Centre (full wheelchair access)
- Corrimal High School
- Fairy Meadow Demonstration School
- Fernhill Guide Hall
- Helensburgh Community Centre
- Helensburgh Public School (full wheelchair access)
- Holy Spirit College Bellambi
- Mount Ousley Public School
- Russell Vale Public School (full wheelchair access)
- Scarborough Wombarra Surf Life Saving Club
- Smiths Hill High School
- St Michael's Primary School
- Stanwell Park Anglican Church
- Tarrawanna Public School
- Thirroul District Centre and Library (wheelchair accessible)
- Towradgi Public School
- Wollongong Town Hall (full wheelchair access)
- Woonona East Public School
- Woonona Guide Hall
- Woonona Public School
WOLLONGONG (Ward 2)
- Coniston Public School
- Edmund Rice College
- Farmborough Road Public School
- Figtree Heights Public School
- Figtree Public School
- Gwynneville Public School (full wheelchair access)
- Keiraville Public School
- Lindsay Park Public School
- Mount Kembla Public School
- Mount St Thomas Public School
- St Pius X School Hall Unanderra
- St Therese School Hall West Wollongong
- TAFE NSW Illawarra Institute Wollongong West
- Unanderra Public School
SOUTH OF WOLLONGONG (Ward 3)
- Albion Park Rail Public School
- Berkeley Community Centre
- Berkeley Public School (full wheelchair access)
- Berkeley West Public School
- Cringila Community Hall
- Dapto Public School (full wheelchair access)
- Dapto Ribbonwood Centre (full wheelchair access)
- Hayes Park Public School
- Horsley Community Centre (full wheelchair access)
- Koonawarra Community Hall
- Lake Heights Public School (full wheelchair access)
- Lakelands Public School
- Mount Brown Public School
- Port Kembla Public School
- Port Kembla Senior Citizens Centre
- Primbee Public School
- St Lukes Anglican Church Hall Dapto
- Warrawong Community Hall
- Warrawong Public School
- Windang Senior Citizens Centre
You can also vote at Sydney Town Hall.
A polling booth will be set up at Wollongong Hospital - Level 8 Auditorium Block C
WHO ARE THE CANDIDATES?
Click the links to find who’s running in your ward
- WARD 1 – Helensburgh down to around the Fairy Meadow and Balgownie area.
- WARD 2 – most of the central suburbs, including parts of Fairy Meadow and Mount Pleasant, Mount Keira, Mount Kembla, Cordeaux Heights, Unaderra, Mangerton and central Wollongong.
- WARD 3 – southernmost ward and includes some parts of Unanderra, Cringila, Port Kembla, Warrawong, Berkeley, Primbee, Windang, all of Dapto and Yallah
- Shellharbour candidates
WHAT ARE THE MAIN ISSUES:
- Shellharbour candidates stance on same sex marriage
- Wollongong’s Ward 1 stance on affordable housing
- Wollongong’s Ward 2 stance on affordable housing
- Wollongong’s Ward 3 stance on affordable housing
- How Illawarra council hopefuls would tackle the housing crisis
- Wollongong Mayoral contenders reveal their grand plans for city
- How Shellharbour and Wollongong candidates plan to bring in tourists