EFA 2008 political donation and election expenditure disclosures published online today at 10 am

Declarations disclosing political donations and electoral expenditure lodged under the Election Funding and Disclosures Act 1981 will be made available to the public on Monday 20 April, 2009.

The Election Funding Authority (EFA) will publish the declarations and disclosure data live on its website http://www.efa.nsw.gov.au/ at 10.00am.

The disclosures cover the reporting period from 1 July 2008 – 31 December 2008.
This reporting period includes the September 2008 NSW Local Government election activity.

All disclosure data will be searchable by category and will be downloadable.

Data entry is based on information as provided in the declarations of disclosures lodged with the EFA.
Under new reporting rules, declarations of disclosures must be lodged with the EFA every six months.

Australian Electoral Commission to release 2007-08 political financial disclosure returns on 2 Feburary 2009

The 2007-08 annual financial disclosure returns from political parties, associated entities, donors, and people who engage in political expenditure will be made available for public inspection from 9:00am (AEDST) on Monday 2 February 2009.

The annual returns will be available on the Australian Electoral Commission's (AEC's) website at www.aec.gov.au

ACT Elections Virtual Tally Room and NSW By-elections Virtual Tally Room: 18 October 2008

Because more than a few people on the NSW North Coast have family in the Australian Capital Territory or other parts of New South Wales, here are links for the online tally rooms:

*ACT Electoral Commission 2008 Tally Room

• Results by electorate
• Results by polling place
• Results by party
• Summary of party votes by electorate
• Distribution of preferences
• Help

2008 Election page

*NSW Electoral Commission 2008 Virtual Tally Room

State By-elections day - Port Macquarie, Ryde, Cabramatta and Lakemba

• Port Macquarie By-election results
• Ryde By-election results
• Lakemba By-election results
• Cabramatta By-election results

Polls close at 6pm and preliminary counting results should begin to post sometime after 6.30pm.

*Antony Green's elections coverage (including live results) here.

Clarence Valley: perfect one day, terrifying the next

News.com.au on Tuesday:
"AUSTRALIA'S terrorism alert system will be changed to allow a threat level to be altered for a specific location or industry."

Local wags are saying that the Clarence Valley will be named as a high threat level location, due to the fact that Clarence Valley Council has just elected Richie Williamson as mayor and the Lower Clarence mob are bound to feel terrorized by this Grafton-based, Radio 2GF (albeit likeable) airhead heading local government.

Especially as he was mentored and endorsed by the North Coast Nats who are thought to have brought nothing but grief to the valley for years.

Richie Williamson elected Clarence Valley Council mayor

In what appears to have been a vote by his fellow shire councillors which ran 6-3, Richie Williamson became the new Clarence Valley Council mayor on 30 September.

Yesterday morning The Daily Examiner reported:

"The owner of 2GF in Grafton the station Mr Williamson works for has told Williamson's superiors any role beyond an ordinary councillor would require him to make a career choice. "Mr Williamson will be able to continue in (his) full time role as on-air breakfast announcer at 2GF and also fulfil (his) role as local councillor subject to agreement being reached on certain matters, including not standing for mayor," a spokesman for 2GF owner Bill Caralis said. "However (if Williamson) would want to seek the position of mayor, (he) would need to make a decision as to which career (he) would want to pursue."

It seems that Richie's political ambitions far exceed his desire to retain his media career.

However, it is possible that an attempt to dupe is afoot here - the spokesperson for Bill Caralis was careful not to rule out Richie being employed by 2GF in another capacity eg., consultant or program manager.

I think I can safely say that, not since Chris Gulaptis became mayor of the former Maclean Shire Council, has a Northern Rivers council so quickly run the risk of being marginalised by the poor choice of political 'friends' that a mayor has gathered around him.

A hint Richie - lose that meddlesome duo, Cansdell and Causley, quickly and ditch that MySpace page.

Having people tell the world that they think you are "a bit of a bitch" is not a good look for a mayor, nor is proudly advertising the lack of further educational achievement a potential turn-on for ministers and departments Clarence Valley Council will have to approach in the course of its sometimes complex business.

Photograph posted on MySpace

Official Lyne & Mayo federal by-election results and WA state election results

For those who like to know the exact details, here are the current numbers for the Lyne federal by-election on the NSW Mid-North Coast and Mayo federal by-election in South Australia, as well as the current figures for the West Australian state election 2008.

• Mayo [Updated: 6/09/2008 9:16:08 PM]
• Lyne [Updated: 6/09/2008 8:09:44 PM]

WA State Electoral Commission updated results here.

The ABC's Antony Green breakdown of polling results here.

Newly independent former Nationals Rob Oakshott romps home in Lyne, Liberals look like winning Mayo and Labor is being trounced in WA but the final outcome still a cliffhanger at this point.

So you think you can run a council....(3)

This letter to the editor published in The Daily Examiner, Grafton, says it all.

NSW local government election time has rolled round again and local candidates are beginning to come out of the woodwork.

I see that the Nationals Jeremy Challacombe has publicly put up his hand and declares that almost obligatory commitment; "Mr Challacombe singled out the Clarence River for special attention. "I believe our river is the focus of our Valley," [DEX online,5 August 2008].

Unfortunately for Mr. Challacombe, many in the Clarence Valley have a longer memory than he obviously gives credit for and, it doesn't take long to hunt up his real attitude to the river catchment and our economic dependence on its continued health.

For instance in "The Daily Examiner" a couple of months back, Mr. Challacombe was careful not to mention how he voted (or if he voted at all) on the motion passed by that Nationals NSW party conference, a conference which coincidentally saw him installed as vice-chair of the state party [DEX,June 18,p.3].

In this article he apparently sought to misdirect the reader to the dissenting vote by his wife on the motion to "support greater efforts to reduce the amount of eastern water lost to the ocean and campaign for more in-depth investigations into finding ways to turn this water inland." [ibid]

This motion was nothing more than another bite at the Howard Government's 2006-07 proposal to rob the Clarence River catchment of its vital freshwater flows.
Despite Mr. Challacombe attempting to portray it as "more about better water management than about river diversion." [ibid]
Something he would have known was not the true story given his past employment by North Coast Water.

As vice-chair Mr. Challacombe has an obligation to support this successful Nationals state party resolution on water diversion and, his candidature at the forthcoming Clarence Valley local government election is a clear case of a conflict of interest given Clarence Valley Council's longstanding and well-documented resolve to protect the Clarence River and its tributaries from both further damming and diversion.

If it's any comfort to Mr. Challacombe, I'm not too impressed either by local Anglican Reverend Pat Comben thinking it might be a good idea to marry church and state by being elected to local government. [http://graftondiocease.org.au,7 August 2008]

I would have thought the dismal showing of faith-based parties at the November 2007 federal election might have indicated to the good reverend just how disenchanted the electorate might have become to priests in politics.

Judith M. Melville
Yamba

So you think you can run a council....(2)

Life is full of not so gentle ironies.

The Clarence Valley has been fighting off irrational water raiders for years, due to the terminal decline of the Murray Darling Basin river systems and the ongoing greed of irrigators from within this basin.

Now former Queensland Goss Government Minister for the Environment and Heritage, Rev. Pat Comben (who held that ministerial post during a period when the rapacious Cubbie Station was allowed to continue sucking the northern basin dry) wants to be elected to Clarence Valley Council this September.

Somehow I don't think Reverend Comben will be getting the 'green' vote within the electorate.

Crikey yesterday on the subject of Cubbie Station here.

Crib sheet: NSW North Coast local government elections, 13 September 2008

A 2008 council crib sheet for local voters

Ballina Shire Council - 3 ward system and popular election of mayor
17 candidates for election as councillors
5 of these candidates standing for mayor
9 councillor positions available
Population est. 39,000
Link to NSWEC web page here

Byron Shire Council - no ward system and popular election of mayor
3 parties registered
36 candidates for election as councillors
7 of these candidates standing for mayor
10 councillor positions available
Population est. 29,000
Link to NSWEC web page here

Clarence Valley Shire Council - no ward system and mayor elected by councillors
21 candidates for election as councillors
9 councillor positions available
Population est. 50,000
Link to NSWEC web page here

Coffs Harbour City Council - no ward system and popular election of mayor
2 parties registered
38 candidates for election as councillors
5 of these candidates standing for mayor
9 councillor positions available
Population est. 65,000
Link to NSWEC web page here

Kyogle Council - 3 ward system and mayor elected by councillors
18 candidates for election as councillors
11 councillor positions available
Population est. 9,300
Link to NSWEC web page here

Lismore City Council - no ward system and popular election of mayor
4 parties registered
51 candidates for election as councillors
9 of these candidates standing for mayor
12 councillor positions available
Population est. 42,300
Link to NSWEC web page here

Richmond Valley Council - no ward system and popular election of mayor
24 candidates for election as councillors
4 of these candidates standing for mayor
9 councillor positions available
Population est. 25,000
Link to NSWEC web page here

Tweed Shire Council -no ward system and mayor elected by councillors
2 parties registered
39 candidates for election as councillors

Under administration since 2005, before which there were 11 councillor

positions available

Population est. 81,000
Link to NSWEC web page here