Wollongong residents may have noticed a flurry of activity at the vacated Wollongong Bunnings this week, with the lights on all night and cars filling the parking spaces around the warehouse.
The former hardware store is being leased out by the Australian Electoral Commission for three years, and became a hub for counting and storing following the October 14 referendum.
An AEC spokesperson said the warehouse was now as count centre
"Counting is still being conducted inside the warehouse," they said.
"In fact, the warehouse is a hub for three Wollongong divisions in total.
"There would have been lots of activity on polling night as hundreds of AEC staff members were working on site and several polling places were returning with their materials and ballot papers to the location."
As at many similar sites across the country, AEC staff are still working to undertake fresh scrutiny, which is the second count of all the ballot papers to assure the outcome.
"We expect work to continue for a few more weeks and future use of the site will be determined in due course," the spokesperson said.
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Kate McIlwain
For more than a decade, I've helped the Illawarra Mercury set the news agenda across the region. Currently I'm the paper's health reporter - covering the stories of Illawarra workers and residents in the wake of a global pandemic and at a time where our health systems are stretched to the limit.
For more than a decade, I've helped the Illawarra Mercury set the news agenda across the region. Currently I'm the paper's health reporter - covering the stories of Illawarra workers and residents in the wake of a global pandemic and at a time where our health systems are stretched to the limit.
