Our Scheme

The Community Government Scheme first came into operations on the 18th of November 1992. The Borroloola Community Government Scheme explains how the Council runs. This includes the Area of Governance , how Elections are held, within the council, and the Council Responsibilities .

The following is a link to the Northern Territory Legislation Database where the most recent version of the Borroloola Community Government Scheme can be downloaded as a PDF of RTF document. Click here or read on for an overview of the Scheme.

Members of council

The council shall consist of 10 members, 2 of whom shall be declared or elected for each ward in the manner provided by this scheme.

The term of office of a member shall expire immediately before the next Election Day.

Eligibility for membership

A person is eligible for nomination as a member of the council if he is enrolled as a voter.

The office of a member becomes vacant if he ceases to be so enrolled, or if he ceases to live ordinarily in the community government area.

President and Vice-President of Council

The council will choose the President first and a Vice-President at the council's first meeting after its election from within the membership.

The President and the Vice-President continue to hold their positions until:

• Either he or she resigns, which they may do so at any time by giving notice to the clerk.

• He or she ceases to be a member of the Borroloola Community Government.

The Vice-President shall perform all duties as President during any vacancy in that office.

Meetings of Council

The council shall meet once a month on the date and time decided by a previous meeting or, in default of that, by the clerk.

The President may call a special meeting of the council by giving at least 2 days notice to the other members.

By giving the President notice requesting a special meeting of the council and stating the reasons for the request, 3 or more members, or 6 or more persons each of whom has attained the age of 18 years and has lived continuously in the community government area for not less than 3 months may require the President to call a special meeting of the council.

The clerk will display a written notice of the special meeting specifying the date (within 7 days), time, place and reason, in a prominent place where residents are likely to visit.

A member proposing to be absent from a meeting of the council may authorize in writing any eligible, to exercise his powers at the meeting (including the power to vote) on his behalf.

Where a member is absent in person from 3 consecutive meetings of the council:

• without the prior consent of the council; or

• for reasons which the council does not accept as satisfactory,

the clerk shall declare him to be no longer a member, and his office as such to be vacant.

Meetings to be open

Meetings of the council shall be open to persons who are not members or officers of the council unless the council determines that a meeting, or part of a meeting, is to be closed.

Procedure at meetings of council

The President resides over meetings of the Borroloola Community Government. The Local Government makes decisions (called "standing orders") about the procedures that usually apply at meetings. Minutes of Local Government meetings are kept as a record of its proceedings and its decisions.

The quorum for the Borroloola Community Government meeting is a majority of the members then in office, meaning this number of members is required to be present at meetings before it can commence.

Ward committees

The council may by resolution:

• establish a ward committee for a ward; and

• make such provision as it thinks fit as to the composition, meetings and proceedings of the committee, the powers and functions of the committee and the manner of their exercise and performance, and any matters of an incidental or ancillary nature.

Elections

A person is eligible to vote at a council election, and entitled to be enrolled as a voter for the ward in which he resides at the close of the rolls under if he:

• is enrolled as an elector within the meaning of the Electoral Act; and
  
• has ordinarily resided in the community government area for not less than three months immediately before the close of the rolls.
  

The clerk shall maintain for each ward a roll of the full names and addresses of persons who are eligible to vote at elections.

The clerk shall close the rolls at 12 noon on the Thursday 21 days before Election Day.

The clerk shall not add any names to an electoral roll in the period between its closure and the conclusion of the election.

A resident may inspect the electoral rolls at the offices of the council during the time that the offices are open.

Date of election

The first election shall be held on Thursday 7 May 1987, and subsequent elections shall be held on a Thursday in May in 1990 and in every third calendar year after the end of the year 1990.

The clerk shall give not less than 28 days notice of the election and shall prominently display a notice of the election.

Nominations

A person who is enrolled as an eligible voter may, by lodging a written nomination with the clerk, nominate for election as a member of the council for his ward any other person who is enrolled in the ward.

The clerk shall not accept a nomination if it does not sufficiently identify the candidate or the eligible candidate has not consented.

A candidate may withdraw his consent to his nomination at any time before the close of nominations.

Nominations of candidates for election shall close at 12 noon on the Thursday 14 days before Election Day.

As soon as practicable after nominations have closed, the clerk shall display in each ward, in the same places as the election notice, a list of the names of the candidates for the ward.

Declaration or election of members

At the close of nominations if the number of candidates for a ward does not exceed 2, the clerk shall, by a notice, declare the candidates to be a member of the council for that ward.

If at the close of nominations there are more than 2 candidates for a ward, an election to decide which 2 of them shall be members for the ward shall be held on Election Day.

Election Day

The clerk will arrange for Ballot papers to be printed and set aside a place suitable for polling with a securely fastened ballot-box.

The clerk will appoint all polling officials to assist in conducting an election.

Each candidate may, by notice in writing, appoint persons to be scrutineers for the candidate for the purposes of the election.

The clerk shall ensure that each polling place is open and remains open for voting between the hours of 8 am and 6 pm on the day of an election.

Entitlement to vote

A person whose name appears on an electoral roll shall vote and a person whose name does not appear shall not be entitled to vote at an election.

Where the clerk is satisfied that a person is eligible to vote, but his name has not been entered on any roll, the clerk shall, upon the person signing a declaration that he made a claim for enrolment before the closure of the rolls permit that person to vote.

Voting procedure

A voter shall state his or her name to the clerk or polling official, who shall cross them off the electoral roll and give them the ballot-paper to be taken to the voting area where he will make his choice and then leave the Polling area.

The clerk may if he thinks fit (in addition to setting aside a polling place) authorize the use of a mobile polling booth for the purposes of the casting of votes at an election.

Postal voting

A person whose name appears on an electoral roll who:

• is ill, infirm or for religious reasons unable to vote; or
  

• will be absent from the community government area during the hours when the polling place will be open,
  
• may apply in person or in writing to the clerk for a postal ballot-paper.

Where the clerk, on or before 6 pm on Election Day, receives an envelope apparently containing a postal ballot-paper, the clerk shall place the envelope unopened in a ballot-box in use at the election. If it is received after, it is stamped "rejected" and not included in the count.

Counting of votes

After 6 o'clock in the evening on the day of the election and as soon as voting has finished, the clerk and polling officials shall, in the presence of a scrutineer, open the ballot-box or boxes, count the number of ballot-papers, compare that number with the number of names through which a line has been drawn on the electoral rolls and prepare a statement which reconciles the number of ballot-papers issued and counted.

• The clerk shall set aside any informal votes.

• The clerk shall, immediately after counting the votes, sign a certificate.

Declaration of result

The clerk shall, as soon as practicable after the votes have been counted for a ward, declare the result of the election for that ward by a notice displayed in the same places as the election notice was placed.

The clerk shall notify the Minister the results within 7 days.

After the counting of the votes has been completed, the clerk shall keep the ballot-papers in a sealed package unopened for 6 months and, at the end of that time, shall destroy the unopened package containing the ballot-papers.

Adjournment of polling in emergency

If it appears to the clerk to be necessary or desirable to do so by reason of:

• riot or open violence; or

• fire, storm, tempest or flood or a similar occurrence,

he may adjourn polling at an election from day to day to a maximum of 21 days beginning with the day of the election.

Vacancies in membership

Where the office of a member becomes vacant for any reason, a person who is eligible and willing to be a member, and was the highest polling unsuccessful candidate for that ward in the most recent election (including a by-election) will become the new member.

If no person fulfils these requirements or 2 or more people fulfill the requirements then a by-election for the vacant office shall be held.

Resignation of council

If all the members of the council cease to be members, or a quorum is not present on 2 consecutive occasions at the place and within 1 hour after the time specified for a council meeting, the clerk shall determine the date of an election of a new council; and exercising a power of the council under this scheme until the election of the new council.

 
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