Introduction
ABE did not support individual candidates or candidate group tickets for the 2021 Eurobodalla Shire Council election – we are non-aligned. This page has been updated progressively as candidates were declared for the 4th December 2021 Eurobodalla local government elections.
ABE started monitoring candidates by writing to all current Eurobodalla Councillors in February 2021 asking if they intended to stand for election in 2021, and if so, whether they will be standing as part of a ticket?
We interviewed Councillors Pollock and Mayne after receiving positive responses, but were not able to arrange a meeting with Councillor Constable. Mayor Innes and Councillor Brown were not able to confirm whether they would be nominating for election (as reported in our March newsletter), and ABE received no replies from Councillors Thomson, Nathan and Tait. Mayor Innes subsequently announced on 23rd June that she will not be contesting the 2021 Eurobodalla Council election.
Councillor McGinlay indicated that he would not be seeking re-election. The Eurobodalla Greens announced a ticket of 4 candidates on 30 April, with Alison Worthington as the lead candidate for Council. ABE interviewed the Eurobodalla Greens as indicated in our May newsletter, and further details are outlined below in the Confirmed Candidate Tickets section.
Eurobodalla Labor announced a ticket of 6 candidates on 23 April, 2021, and have since been running stalls at markets and gatherings across the Shire. ABE interviewed the Eurobodalla Labor team as reported in our April newsletter. Further details are outlined below in the Confirmed Candidate Tickets section.
Councillor Anthony Mayne has announced a ticket of 4 candidates, badged as The Mayne Team, with himself as lead Council candidate. More details below.
It is a positive contribution to democratic practice to announce their teams with plenty of time before the election, as Eurobodalla Labor, Eurobodalla Greens and Anthony Mayne have done. This enables the community to become familiar with candidates and their policies. More details below, together with links to relevant websites.
Confirmed Candidate Tickets (as of 7th November 2021)
Eurobodalla Labor (Group F on ballot paper)
Eurobodalla Labor has a ticket of 6 candidates for Councillor positions, and is also contesting the Mayoral election. The 6 candidates for Council are David Grace, Maureen Searson, Matt Findlay, Claire McAsh, Deirdre Russack and Jack Egan. David Grace is contesting the Mayoral election.
The three key election issues identified by Eurobodalla Labor in discussions with ABE were good governance including honesty and transparency; building genuine community partnerships; and improving the liveability of the shire for all age groups.
The Eurobodalla Labor website is at https://eurolocal2021.com/, and they also have a Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/laboreurobodalla
Eurobodalla Greens (Group E on ballot paper)
The Eurobodalla Greens have a ticket of 4 candidates for Councillor positions, and are also contesting the Mayoral election. The 4 candidates for Council are Alison Worthington, Nadine Hills, Kylie Ryder and Charlie Bell. Alison Worthington is also contesting the Mayoral election, in which she has drawn the top of the ticket position.
The three key election issues identified by Eurobodalla Greens in discussions with ABE were the need for Council to be more accountable to residents and ratepayers; improving the liveability of the Shire through creating safer, better connected and more resilient communities; and environmental responsibility by working with Council staff to take action on climate change.
The Eurobodalla Greens website is at https://www.eurobodallagreens.com/2021-local-government-elections, and their Facebook page is at https://www.facebook.com/alisonworthington.greens .
The Mayne Team (Group C on ballot paper)
The Mayne Team has four candidates: Anthony Mayne, Michelle Hamrosi, Karyn Starmer and Trevor Moore. Karyn Starmer is their candidate for the Mayoral election.
When ABE met with Councillor Anthony Mayne on 31 March he identified priority issues as improving transparency in Council decision-making and ways of conducting Council business; adopting best practice, informed development across the shire; and employment growth in Eurobodalla with a view to supporting jobs of the future.
The Mayne Team website is can be found at https://www.themayneteam.com.au/. It contains information on the candidates, their policies and recent media items.
Advance Eurobodalla (Group D on ballot paper)
The Advance Eurobodalla ticket was announced in mid-July, with Mat Hatcher being identified as their Mayoral candidate. Their full candidate ticket consists of Mathew Hatcher, Amber Schutz, Tanya Dannock, Natasha Coxon, Sandra Meek, Georgie Rowley and Charles Stuart (pictured below from L to R).
Key policies identified include retaining our unique & relaxed coastal character; protecting our much loved, unspoilt and precious environment; and facilitating job opportunities and housing affordability. Advance Eurobodalla’s full policy statement is available on the group website at: www.advanceeurobodalla.com or https://www.facebook.com/advanceeurobodalla.
A Better Council (Group B on ballot paper – not affiliated with A Better Eurobodalla)
A Better Council ticket was announced in mid-July, with Gary Smith and Noel “Tubby” Harrison both nominating as Councillor and Mayoral candidates. Other Councillor candidates are Jackilyn Rosevear and John Gillett.
Priority policies mentioned on their Facebook page are open council with genuine public consultation and helpful staff; active lobbying for a Level 4 Hospital and local oncology radiation; and reduce Red Tape and encourage more affordable housing stock. Further details can be found on their A Better Council Facebook page.
James Thomson Ticket (Group G on ballot paper)
Councillor James Thomson registered a Group ticket of 4 candidates shortly before nominations closed on the 3rd November 2021. Clr Thomson heads the ticket, followed by Jo-Anne Starling, Catherine Lawler and Jennifer Campbell.
The Thomson Group has not provided information regarding any of their Candidates, and had no web presence as of the 7th November 2021.
Rob Pollock Ticket (Group A on ballot paper)
Councillor Rob Pollock registered a Group ticket of 5 candidates shortly before nominations closed on 3rd November 2021. The other Councillor candidates are Peter Diskon, Clr Jack Tait, Robert Motbey and Jenny Munro. Clr Pollock is also running in the Mayoral ballot.
Clr Pollock’s website can be found at https://robpollock.com.au/, and until 7th November it did not contain information regarding any of his running mates. Candidate photos and brief information snippets were added on 7th November, with Jack Tait’s name being misspelt as “Tate”. Examination of candidate registration forms on the NSW Electoral Commission website indicates that Jenny Munro, the 5th candidate on Pollock’s ticket, is a member of the Liberal Party. This is surprising as the team has presented under the label of “Independent”.
A Better Eurobodalla 