After 23 years, the publicly displayed piece of paper listing the names of nominated council candidates has been tossed in the bin. The SA Electoral Commission now stipulates candidates' names be revealed online 24 hours after nominations close.

James Trebilcock, the Electoral Commission of South Australia’s director of communications, confirmed to CityMag in a statement the piece of paper listing the names of individuals formally nominated in local government council elections had been scrapped.

“In the 2018 Council Election report it was recommended that to improve the nomination process, the council election nomination process would be brought into line with the Federal and State elections,” he said. “The Returning Officer is responsible for publishing all candidates within 24 hours of close of nominations.”

The list will also be provided to the council.

CityMag visited the Adelaide Visitor Information Centre on Pirie Street last week, where a City of Adelaide employee confirmed it was the “first year” they had not published a list of candidates on the notice board.

The notice board still includes council and committee agendas and reports.

The publicly displayed council documents

There has been an update to the Local Government (Elections) Act which has changed the responsibility of the council to release a copy of nominations “as soon as practicable” to be displayed in the “principle office of the council” to a stipulation that it now must publish the list “of all valid nominations” on the Internet within 24 hours after close of nominations.

“Consistent with other elections, all nominations are anonymous until the declaration of nominations, and no South Australian councils will have a list of nominees before the close of nomination,” Trebilcock said.

The Local Government Act states the CEO must ensure a “reasonable number of copies of any document or report” are available for inspection by members of the public, and any public consultation policy must be provided in a locally circulating newspaper and online.

Adelaide City Council nominations opened on 23 August and close 6 September.

The scrutiny and count is slated for 12 November.