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Speaker 1: Well, as we know, several Northern Territory councils are heading

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Speaker 1: back to the polls with twelve candidates, as I understand,

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Speaker 1: nominated to fill six vacancies that have been left unfilled

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Speaker 1: after August's local government elections. Now, as you'll recall, well,

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Speaker 1: I hope you recall. We all obviously went to the

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Speaker 1: polls in August, but in some of the local government

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Speaker 1: and ward positions they either weren't filled or Litchfield they've

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Speaker 1: got a situation where Rachel Wright was elected as the mayor,

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Speaker 1: which means that there's now a vacancy for one of

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Speaker 1: those councilor positions. Now joining us on the line is

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Speaker 1: the Northern Territory Electoral Commissioner, Kirsten Kelly. Good morning to you, Kirston.

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Speaker 2: Good morning Katie, Thanks so much for your.

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Speaker 1: Time this morning. Now, can you talk me through where

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Speaker 1: the local government's supplementary elections are actually happening.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, So there were six local government council wards that

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Speaker 2: required supplementary elections, so there are three wards which are

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Speaker 2: having contested elections. So it means that elections are required

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Speaker 2: because there was more candidates nominating for the number of

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Speaker 2: vacancies and there are three local government council wards where

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Speaker 2: voting is not required because they are uncontested elections where

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Speaker 2: there was the same number of vacancies as there were candidates.

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Speaker 2: So the wards that are requiring voters within those wards

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Speaker 2: to vote is the Litchfield Council North Ward and then

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Speaker 2: the West Arnham Regional Councils. There's two wards there, Kackadoo

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Speaker 2: Ward and Gumbalunya Ward.

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Speaker 1: Yeah right, okay, so how so when exactly are they happening?

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Speaker 1: It's not this weekend but next weekend? Is that correct?

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Speaker 2: So early voting has started for those elections. So early

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Speaker 2: voting services are available at the Anti Electoral Commission office

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Speaker 2: in the city. Remote voting services have started for the

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Speaker 2: West Arnham Regional Council Kackadoo and gumbaluniawards. There has been

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Speaker 2: some cancellations to the schedules due to the current weather

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Speaker 2: events and we're looking to see if we can go

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Speaker 2: back and voting for the Litchfield north Ward. Whilst early

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Speaker 2: voting is open and post votings open, there'll be voting

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Speaker 2: available next Wednesday, Thursday and Friday at Whitewood Hall and

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Speaker 2: then again on Saturday. On election day, the twenty ninth

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Speaker 2: of November at Whitewood Hall as well.

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Speaker 1: Commissioner, you just touched on this, you know, this weather

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Speaker 1: that we're set to experience. How big an impact is

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Speaker 1: this potentially going to have for you guys, you know,

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Speaker 1: delivering these supplementary elections.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, and it doesn't it's really important. And we're very

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Speaker 2: fortunate in Allder Territory that for our general elections, they're

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Speaker 2: fixed by law, fixed dates, and so they happen before

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Speaker 2: the wet season. So when we have to run elections

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Speaker 2: outside and in the wet season, it can present logistical challenges.

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Speaker 2: So we do look and we will look around to

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Speaker 2: make sure that we can provide voting services to remote

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Speaker 2: communities and working with the councils impacted to make sure

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Speaker 2: we can get our teams out there safely, but also

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Speaker 2: when they're out there, that voters and community can reasonably

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Speaker 2: access those services. So it turns into like a logistical

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Speaker 2: emergency response, if you like. So we're monitoring secure NT,

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Speaker 2: We're looking at what's happening with the movement of the

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Speaker 2: tracking and even though these communities might be outside of

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Speaker 2: the impact zones, we do know in the northern territory

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Speaker 2: that big rains, particularly up in the arm and land escarpment,

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Speaker 2: can move quite quickly through the territory, So that does

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Speaker 2: certainly restrict access and it also restricts our ability to

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Speaker 2: get into some of these remote communities. So it's important

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Speaker 2: that we plan for these events and make adjustments where

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Speaker 2: we can.

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Speaker 1: Yeah. Absolutely, got to be agile because, like you touched on,

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Speaker 1: we know that these things can happen, although probably a

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Speaker 1: bit earlier in the season than what we're used to

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Speaker 1: over the last few years at least.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, absolutely, and we were hoping that we've got in

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Speaker 2: early enough for these supplementary elections. But yeah, can't control

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Speaker 2: the weather, so we'll do what we can.

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Speaker 1: Oh, we definitely cannot. Hey, are these like, are these

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Speaker 1: supplementary elections? Are they an unusual thing to have happened

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Speaker 1: or have we had it happen from time to time

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Speaker 1: over the years.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, so we do see supplementary elections. So for the

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Speaker 2: local government elections that were held in August, we had

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Speaker 2: thirty four contested elections, fifteen uncontested, and then we had

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Speaker 2: five partly failed. And then there was the one unique

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Speaker 2: which you referenced the northward where you had a candidate

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Speaker 2: who was going for dual positions and where they secured,

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Speaker 2: they're elected for the mayor and that meant that we

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Speaker 2: had another partly failed election. So they do happen. This

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Speaker 2: is so we had six. It's certainly larger than we've

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Speaker 2: seen in previous years in the partially failed but they

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Speaker 2: do occur.

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Speaker 1: Commission, I have many people put their hand up this

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Speaker 1: time round for those for the different areas.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, so we've got five candidates contesting the one vacancy

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Speaker 2: for Lichfield northward and then for the gun Boluna and

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Speaker 2: Kakado wards we've got two candidates contesting the single vacancy.

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Speaker 1: All right, so just give us a reminder to anybody

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Speaker 1: out there listening this morning who's thinking, Okay, where do

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Speaker 1: I need to go to vote? If they fall in

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Speaker 1: any of those wards, what do they need to know?

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Speaker 2: Absolutely so, the Anti Electoral Commission website is the place

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Speaker 2: for the most up to date information. Certainly encourage people,

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Speaker 2: particularly in the remote communities to look at the website

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Speaker 2: or call out offers just to see where things are changing.

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Speaker 2: We are in contact with councils and stakeholders on the

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Speaker 2: ground to get changes communicated. Really quickly and through social media.

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Speaker 2: But if you're in Lichfield northward, there's no changes currently proposed,

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Speaker 2: but will continue to monitor. But you'll have voting now

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Speaker 2: in the city in our office in Darwin on Mitchell Street,

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Speaker 2: and then next week in Whitewood Hall. There will be Wednesday,

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Speaker 2: Thursday and Friday. On Wednesday and Thursday from eight till

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Speaker 2: five pm at Whitewood Hall on Friday from eight till

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Speaker 2: six pm, and then election day voting will be at

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Speaker 2: the same location on the twenty ninth of November, which

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Speaker 2: is election Day, from eight till six Postal voting is

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Speaker 2: still open, so if you're unable to attend in person,

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Speaker 2: please reach out early so we can make sure we

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Speaker 2: can get that postal vote to you well.

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Speaker 1: Northern Territory Electoral Commissioner Kirsten Kelly really appreciate your time.

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Speaker 1: Thanks so much for chatting with us, no trouble, Have greatday.