| Parliaments and Local Councils | Legislative Council | Legislative Assembly | Local Councils |
|---|---|---|---|
| Terms of Members of Parliament/Council | 4 years. Fixed term. November. | ||
| Number of Members | 40 (5 Members elected from each of 8 Regions). | 88 elected from single-member electoral districts. | Not fewer than 5 and not greater than 12. 117 councillors in single councillor wards. 514 councillors from 180 multi-councillor wards or unsubdivided municipalities. |
| Electoral Legislation | Electoral Act (2002). Constitution Act (1975). |
Local Government Act (1989) | |
| Voting Systems (definitions) |
Proportional Representation – partial preferential, single transferable vote and above the line ticket voting. | Full preferential. | Full preferential where single vacancy. Proportional representation where more than 1 vacancy. City of Melbourne: Full Preferential for leadership team of Lord Mayor and Deputy; proportional representation with above-the-line voting for councillors. |
| Enrolment and Voting Eligibility | Same as for Commonwealth | Same as for State plus special enrolment provisions for non-resident owners and occupiers, corporations and non-citizens. Voting compulsory for residents (those aged 70 years or over automatically excused if they do not vote); not compulsory for non-residents. Except for City of Melbourne: voting compulsory for all on roll. |
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| Redistribution Provisions and Frequency | Electoral Boundaries Commission Act (1982). If enrolments for a specified number of electorates have fallen outside the 10% tolerance; or If there have been 2 general elections since the previous redivision. |
Local Government Act (1989). Electoral representation reviews. Take place before every second general election. Decide number of councillors, electoral structure and ward boundaries. Subdivision reviews. Take place between representation reviews if ward boundaries unlikely to meet equality requirements at next general election. Decide ward boundaries. |
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| Joint Rolls Arrangements between Commonwealth, States and Territories | Since 1924. | Councils are responsible for producing rolls. Formed by merging:
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| Funding, Donations and Disclosure Provisions | Funding rate: $1.20 per vote (indexed to CPI) Cap on donations by certain licence holders. | Disclosure of donations to Council. No funding. |
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| Interesting and Particular Feature(s) |
How-to-vote cards distributed on election day must be registered. Registration of political parties. Provision of electronic voting for voters who are blind or have low vision. |
Most Council elections conducted by post. City of Melbourne: Corporations entitled to 2 representatives each on voters' roll. |
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