# 2024 Central Coast Council election

The 2024 Central Coast Council election was held on 14 September 2024 to elect 15 councillors to Central Coast Council as part of the statewide local government elections in New South Wales, Australia.
This was the first election for the council since September 2017, after it was placed into administration on 30 October 2020, missed the local elections in December 2021 and was eventually dismissed on 17 March 2022.

## Background

Central Coast Council covers the entire Central Coast region, which has a population of 346,596 as of 2021. This makes it the third-most-populated LGA in New South Wales, behind only Blacktown and Canterbury-Bankstown.
The council was formed on 12 May 2016 as a "super council" after the state government merged the City of Gosford and Wyong Shire. It is composed of five wards, each electing three councillors, totalling 15 councillors for the entire LGA.

### 2017 election

At the 2017 election, the Labor Party won a plurality with six seats and 30.2% of the vote. Three independents, two members of the "Central Coast NEW Independents" group and four Liberals were also elected.

### Administration and dismissal

In October 2020, it was revealed that the council was unable to pay 2,000 staff, and the council had a debt of $89 million. On 26 October 2020, Liberal councillors Rebecca Gale-Collins and Troy Marquart resigned, stating they sought to "differentiat[e] themselves from those councillors wishing to show due cause to the minister as to why they should remain in local government".
On 30 October 2020, then-local government minister Shelley Hancock announced the immediate suspension of the council and the appointment of former senior public servant Dick Persson as the new interim administrator. At the commencement of the administration period, debt has reached just under $350 million.
Persson was succeeded as administrator by former acting CEO Rik Hart on 13 May 2021. As a result of being in administration, no election took place for Central Coast in 2021.
On 17 March 2022, the state government formally dismissed the council after a report on its financial management was tabled in the New South Wales parliament. Although there were initially plans to hold a new election in September 2022, these did not eventuate.

## Electoral system

Like in all other New South Wales local government areas, Central Coast uses optional preferential voting. Under this system, voters are only required to vote for one group, although they can choose to preference other candidates.
All elections for councillor positions are elected using proportional representation. Central Coast has an Australian Senate-style ballot paper with above-the-line and below-the-line voting. The council is divided into five wards, each electing three councillors.
Voting is compulsory for anyone on the New South Wales state electoral roll. Property owners, rate-paying occupiers or lessees can apply to be on the "non-residential roll" in an LGA, as long as they are not already enrolled as a resident in that area and if they are eligible to be enrolled for state and federal elections. Voting is not compulsory for those on non-residential rolls, although it is still compulsory in the LGA where they are on the residential roll.

## Candidates

A total of 77 candidates contested the election.
Belinda Neal, a former federal MP and senator, led Labor and contested Gosford West.
Former Gosford mayor Lawrie McKinna led "Team Central Coast", which had candidates in every ward. Two of the group's candidates, Matt Simon (Gosford East) and Mark Ella (The Entrance), withdrew in early August and were replaced by George Paterson and Sharryn Brownlee respectively. McKinna contested Gosford East, with former Liberal MP Pat Farmer running in second place on the ticket.
The Greens announced former Wyong councillor Sue Wynn as their lead candidate for Budgewoi on 7 July 2024, the only ward the party is contesting.
In Gosford East, the Liberal Party had two candidates, instead of three, after missing the candidate nomination deadline. The Liberals did also not endorse in Budgewoi, where former Wyong mayor Douglas Eaton led an Independent Liberal ticket.
Central Coast NEW Independents, Ratepayers Choice Central Coast and Coasties Who Care all had one group each.

### Budgewoi

| Greens | Independent Liberal | Labor | Team Central Coast | Central Coast Heart | Ungrouped |
| Sue Wynn Chantelle Baistow Cath Connor | Douglas Eaton Allan McDonald Greg Best | Helen Crowley Joy Cooper Sarah Burns | John Mouland Paul Wade Mitchell Cowan | Edna Wacher Diana Lazatin Anabelle Alcanar | Sandra Harris (Ind) Kenneth Kozak (Ind) |

### Gosford East

| Team Central Coast | Labor | Liberal | Ungrouped |
| Lawrie McKinna Pat Farmer George Paterson | Sharon Walsh Trevor Drake Victoria Collins | Jared Wright Dee Bocking | Clive Lawton (Ind) Sharon Andrews (Ind) Rosemary de Lambert (Ind) David Kings (Ind) |

### Gosford West

| Team Central Coast | NEW Independents | Ratepayers Choice | Liberal |
| Daniel Abou-Chedid Paul Chapman Neil Ferguson | Jane Smith Alison Wade Lisa Wriley | Kevin Brooks Stephen Sizer Lee Erlin | Trent McWaide Alan Pappas Kylie Lowbridge |
| Labor | Coasties Who Care | Ungrouped |
| Belinda Neal Adam McArdle Mark Ellis | Lisa Bellamy Sarah Blakeway Tegan Mulqueeney | Julian Richards (Ind) Andrew Baker (Ind. PHON) |

### The Entrance

| Labor | Animal Justice | Liberal | Independent | Team Central Coast | Ungrouped |
| Margot Castles Matthew Jeffrey Joan Pavitt | Sarah Ryan Patrick Murphy Fardin Pelarek | Rachel Stanton Stephen Hood Tracey Perrem | Corinne Lamont Sam Carter Dale Long | Sharryn Brownlee Skaie Hull Kalvin Smith | Rebecca Smiley (Ind. PHON) |

### Wyong

| Liberal | Team Central Coast | Labor | Ungrouped |
| John McNamara Wade Russell Jennifer Ferguson | Kyla Daniels Natasha Stone Alexander Burgin | Kyle MacGregor Evan Schrei Melanie Gould | Michael Whittington (Ind) Daniel Craig (Ind) Rosemary de Lambert (Ind) Jara Millward (Ind) |

## Results

2024 New South Wales local elections: Central Coast :
| Party | Party | Party | Votes | % | Swing | Seats | Change |
| | Labor | Labor | 60,882 | 31.19 | +1.17 | 5 | 1 |
| | Liberal | Liberal | 47,232 | 24.20 | -0.50 | 4 | |
| | Team Central Coast | Team Central Coast | 38,867 | 19.91 | +19.91 | 3 | 3 |
| | Independent Liberal | Independent Liberal | 7,364 | 3.77 | +3.77 | 1 | 1 |
| | Central Coast NEW Independents | Central Coast NEW Independents | 4,744 | 2.43 | -7.97 | 1 | 1 |
| | Greens | Greens | 6,029 | 3.09 | -4.71 | 0 | |
| | Ratepayers Choice Central Coast | Ratepayers Choice Central Coast | 4,239 | 2.17 | +2.17 | 0 | |
| | Animal Justice | Animal Justice | 4,032 | 2.06 | +2.06 | 0 | |
| | Central Coast Heart | Central Coast Heart | 3,799 | 1.95 | +1.95 | 0 | |
| | Independent One Nation | Independent One Nation | 757 | 0.39 | +0.39 | 0 | |
| | Independent | Independent | 12,946 | 6.63 | -10.37 | 1 | 2 |
| Formal votes | Formal votes | Formal votes | 195,196 | 91.53 | -0.74 | | |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 18,058 | 8.47 | +0.74 | | |
| Total | Total | Total | 213,254 | 100 | | 15 | |
| Registered voters / turnout | Registered voters / turnout | Registered voters / turnout | 260,408 | 81.89 | +6.29 | | |

### Budgewoi

2024 New South Wales local elections: Budgewoi Ward :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labor | 1. Helen Crowley (elected 1) 2. Joy Cooper 3. Sarah Burns | 12,988 | 33.99 | −9.31 |
| | Independent Liberal | 1. Douglas Eaton (elected 2) 2. Allan McDonald 3. Greg Best | 7,364 | 19.27 | +2.93 |
| | Team Central Coast | 1. John Mouland (elected 3) 2. Paul Wade 3. Mitchell Cowan | 6,672 | 17.46 | N/A |
| | Greens | 1. Sue Wynn 2. Chantelle Baistow 3. Cath Connor | 6,029 | 15.78 | +7.98 |
| | Central Coast Heart | 1. Edna Wacher 2. Diana Lazatin 3. Anabelle Alcanar | 3,799 | 9.94 | N/A |
| | Independent | Sandra Harris | 1,047 | 2.47 | N/A |
| | Independent | Kenneth Kozak | 316 | 0.83 | N/A |
| Total formal votes | Total formal votes | Total formal votes | 38,215 | 89.24 | −1.96 |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 4,606 | 10.75 | +1.95 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 42,821 | 81.2 | −1.0 |

### Gosford East

2024 New South Wales local elections: Gosford East Ward :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Team Central Coast | 1. Lawrie McKinna (elected 1) 2. Pat Farmer 3. George Paterson | 14,953 | 38.23 | N/A |
| | Labor | 1. Sharon Walsh (elected 2) 2. Trevor Drake 3. Victoria Collins | 11,041 | 28.23 | +5.94 |
| | Liberal | 1. Jared Wright (elected 3) 2. Dee Bocking | 8,439 | 21.58 | −15.82 |
| | Independent | Rosemary de Lambert | 2,275 | 5.82 | N/A |
| | Independent | David Kings | 1,399 | 3.58 | N/A |
| | Independent | Sharon Andrews | 805 | 2.06 | N/A |
| | Independent | Clive Lawton | 197 | 0.50 | N/A |
| Total formal votes | Total formal votes | Total formal votes | 39,109 | 92.07 | −0.4 |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 3,367 | 7.92 | +1.02 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 42,476 | 82.82 | +1.52 |

### Gosford West

2024 New South Wales local elections: Gosford West Ward :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | 1. Trent McWaide (elected 1) 2. Alan Pappas 3. Kylie Lowbridge | 10,830 | 27.94 | +5.74 |
| | Labor | 1. Belinda Neal (elected 2) 2. Adam McArdle 3. Mark Ellis | 10,722 | 27.66 | +2.26 |
| | Central Coast NEW Independents | 1. Jane Smith (elected 3) 2. Alison Wade 3. Lisa Wriley | 4,744 | 12.24 | +2.54 |
| | Coasties Who Care | 1. Lisa Bellamy 2. Sarah Blakeway 3. Tegan Mulqueeney | 4,305 | 11.11 | N/A |
| | Ratepayers Choice Central Coast | 1. Kevin Brooks 2. Stephen Sizer 3. Lee Erlin | 4,239 | 10.94 | N/A |
| | Team Central Coast | 1. Daniel Abou-Chedid 2. Paul Chapman 3. Neil Ferguson | 3,627 | 9.35 | N/A |
| | Independent | Julian Richards | 153 | 0.39 | N/A |
| | Independent One Nation | Andrew Baker | 140 | 0.36 | N/A |
| Total formal votes | Total formal votes | Total formal votes | 38,757 | 91.45 | −0.45 |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 3,622 | 8.55 | +0.45 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 42,379 | 82.09 | +0.49 |

### The Entrance

2024 New South Wales local elections: The Entrance Ward :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | 1. Rachel Stanton (elected 1) 2. Stephen Hood 3. Tracey Perrem | 13,677 | 36.22 | +9.82 |
| | Labor | 1. Margot Castles (elected 2) 2. Matthew Jeffrey 3. Joan Pavitt | 11,329 | 30.01 | +2.31 |
| | Independent | 1. Corinne Lamont (elected 3) 2. Sam Carter 3. Dale Long | 4,496 | 11.91 | N/A |
| | Animal Justice | 1. Sarah Ryan 2. Patrick Murphy 3. Fardin Pelarek | 4,032 | 10.68 | N/A |
| | Team Central Coast | 1. Sharryn Brownlee 2. Skaie Hull 3. Kalvin Smith | 3,606 | 9.55 | N/A |
| | Independent One Nation | Rebecca Smiley | 617 | 1.63 | N/A |
| Total formal votes | Total formal votes | Total formal votes | 37,757 | 92.15 | −1.35 |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 3,213 | 7.84 | +1.34 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 40,970 | 80.44 | −2.06 |

### Wyong

2024 New South Wales local elections: Wyong Ward :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labor | 1. Kyle MacGregor (elected 1) 2. Evan Schrei 3. Melanie Gould | 14,802 | 35.79 | +3.59 |
| | Liberal | 1. John McNamara (elected 2) 2. Wade Russell 3. Jennifer Ferguson | 14,286 | 34.54 | +13.96 |
| | Team Central Coast | 1. Kyla Daniels (elected 3) 2. Natasha Stone 3. Alexander Burgin | 10,009 | 24.20 | N/A |
| | Independent | Jara Millward | 1,150 | 2.78 | N/A |
| | Independent | Daniel Craig | 659 | 1.59 | N/A |
| | Independent | Michael Whittington | 449 | 1.09 | N/A |
| Total formal votes | Total formal votes | Total formal votes | 41,355 | 92.71 | +1.11 |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 3,250 | 7.28 | −1.12 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 44,605 | 81.92 | −0.18 |

## Referendum

Had the 2021 election gone ahead for the Central Coast, the electorate were to be asked whether the council should be reduced in size from 15 to nine councillors, and the wards reduced from five to three. With the postponement of the 2021 elections due to the administration of Council, the referendum was pushed back to the next election.
In 2024, voters were asked whether the Council should reduce the amount of councillors from 15 to nine, reducing the wards from five to three, and thus each ward electing three councillors each. The referendum passed by a majority of 47,621, and as local government referendums are legally binding, the Council must implement these changes for the 2028 elections.
Do you favour a reduction in the number of Central Coast Councillors from 15 to 9 and a reduction in the number of wards from 5 to 3, with each ward electing 3 councillors? :
| Choice | Votes | % |
| Yes | 125,222 | 61.74 |
| No | 77,601 | 38.26 |
| Valid votes | 202,823 | 95.53 |
| Informal votes | 9,492 | 4.47 |
| Total votes | 212,315 | 100.00 |
| Source: https://vtr.elections.nsw.gov.au/LG2401/central-coast/referendum |||