It’s almost time for Wollongong residents to head back to the polls – but not everyone has to vote.
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Do I need to vote?
If you live in Wollongong City Council’s Ward 3 then, yes, you will need to vote in this byelection.
It is compulsory for Australian citizens who are residents in the City of Wollongong Ward 3 local government area, 18 years of age or older to enrol and vote for a councillor for the City of Wollongong Council.
Ward 3 is Wollongong City Council’s southernmost ward.
It covers the suburbs of Port Kembla, Warrawong, Cringila, Primbee, Windang, Lake Heights, Berekley, Brownsville, Kanahooka, Dapto, Koonawarra, Horsley, Cleveland, Penrose, Wongawilli, Dombarton, Cordeaux, Huntley, Avondale, Yallah, Marshall Mount and Haywards Bay.
Ward 3 also includes parts of Unanderra (east of the Princes Highway and west of the M1 Princes Motorway) and Figtree (east of the Princes Highway and west of the M1 Princes Motorway).
To check your enrolment details, visit the NSW Electoral Commission website or call 1300 135 736.
Where can I vote?
There are 20 polling places open on byelection day.
Your nearest school or community centre is your best bet, but check our interactive polling place map below to find your closest polling booth.
- Berkeley Community Centre – Winnima Way, Berkeley
- Berkeley West Public School – 43 Nolan Street, Berkeley
- Cringila Community Hall – 32-40 Lake Avenue, Cringila
- Dapto Public School – 66 Sierra Drive, Horsley
- Dapto Ribbonwood Centre – 93 Princes Highway, Dapto
- Figtree High School – Gibsons Road, Figtree
- Hayes Park Public School – Kanahooka Road, Kanahooka
- Horsley Community Centre – 82 Bong Bong Road, Horsley
- Illawarra Sports High School – Gura Street, Berkeley
- Koonawarra Community Hall – 36 Fowlers Road, Koonawarra
- Lake Heights Public School – 302 Northcliffe Drive, Lake Heights
- Lakelands Public School – Parkside Drive, Dapto
- Mount Brown Public School – Mount Brown Road, Dapto
- Port Kembla Public School – 18 Gloucester Boulevard, Port Kembla
- Port Kembla Senior Citizens Centre – Allan Street, Port Kembla
- Primbee Public School – Illowra Crescent, Primbee
- St Lukes Anglican Church Hall Dapto – Prince Edward Drive, Dapto
- Warrawong Community Hall – Greene Street, Warrawong
- Warrawong Public School – Cowper Street, Warrawong
- Windang Public School – Oakland Avenue, Windang
What if I can’t vote on November 24?
Voters who can’t get to a polling centre on byelection day can apply for a postal vote or cast a pre-poll vote.
Postal vote
Postal vote applications close at 5pm November 19.
Postal votes must be received by the Returning Officer by 6pm on November 26.
Download a postal vote application form here.
Pre-poll voting
Pre-poll voting opened November 12 and closes November 23.
Pre-poll voting can be done at the Dapto Ribbonwood Centre – 93-109 Princes Highway, Dapto – or at the Wollongong Returning Officer's Office, at Unit 2/73 King Street, Warrawong.
The pre-polling centres are open until November 23 – 8.30am to 5pm Monday to Friday and 9am to 5pm on Saturday.
The pre-poll centres will open an hour longer on November 23, byelection eve, closing at 6pm.
Absent voting
There is no absent voting at local government elections. You must vote at a polling place inside your local government area or ward.
iVote
iVote is not available for local council byelections.
What happens if I don’t vote?
Voting for Wollongong City Council Ward 3 byelection closes at 6pm on November 24 and if you don’t vote you could be up for a fine.
The penalty for failing to vote at a Local Government election is $55, according to the NSW Electoral Commission.
If you were enrolled to vote at an address within Ward 3 and don’t turn up to a polling place on November 24, you might be getting a penalty notice sent to you by mail.
The NSW Electoral Commission says you can do the following things if you receive a notice:
- provide a claim that you voted and details of where you voted
- give a reason in writing for not voting
- pay the penalty
- apply to have the matter heard in court (the maximum penalty that a court may impose for an offence of failing to vote is $110 plus court costs).
What’s a good reason for not voting?
There’s no clear advice on what exact is a valid and sufficient reason for not turning up to vote.
In Australia, voting at all levels of government is compulsory, and it’s your responsibility as a citizen to get yourself out to vote.
Pre-polls and postal votes are in place to make sure that even people who cannot get to a polling booth on election day have the chance to cast their votes.
But, if you didn’t get out there, electoral commission officers get to determine if you have a “valid and sufficient reason” on merit.
Unfortunately, guidelines about these reasons are not made public.
Make sure you do something
If you get a notice in the mail, you must reply or may the fine within 28 days of the issue date of the notice.
If you do not, you will be sent a penalty reminder notice giving you a further 28 days to pay the fine before the matter is referred to the State Debt Recovery Office for action.
If you then don’t do anything at all, the SDRO might issue a penalty notice enforcement order against you.
This may lead to the cancellation or suspension of your drivers licence, cancellation of your car registration or worse.