Local council election delay another cat amongst Parliament pigeons

This week, the upper house will vote on delaying local council elections until April next year. Mike Smithson takes a look at how it might play out in Parliament.

Newbie politicians on North Terrace probably did not envisage being at the business end of legislative decision-making so early in their careers.

One Nation MPs are playing a noteworthy role in the new parliament, and their approach to another pivotal bill on Thursday will generate more noise.

After a bleeding-heart plea from the Electoral Commission of SA (ECSA), politicians will need to vote on whether to delay local government elections, due in November, until next April.

Acting Commissioner Leah McLay says she’s awaiting the findings of an independent review into what went so wrong with the recent state election before she can proceed with the council voting process.

In other words, is ECSA’s workload way too much in the current timeframe, coming hot on the heels of a state election which was mired in bungles and controversy?

Delaying council elections requires a change to legislation and must be dealt with quickly before the parliamentary winter recess.

The Libs can’t see justification for a date change , and now One Nation is also throwing a cat amongst the pigeons with virtually no chance of supporting a delay.

But Upper House Labor and Green numbers will ensure the election pause button is pressed and ECSA can breathe a little easier.

Greens leader Rob Simms sees a greater risk in potentially forcing another bad election process than allowing a delay for........

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