Shoalhaven City Council will write to Premier Gladys Berejiklian asking the state government reimburse the costs incurred by councils and registered candidates who campaigned in the lead up to the September election before it was postponed to December 4.
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Councillor Mitchell Pakes put forth a motion to keep all committee chairs unchanged until the election in order to take pressure off staff, at the Ordinary Meeting on Tuesday, July 27.
But the idea was expanded on when councillor Greg Watson added the council should further request reimbursement of candidate's campaign costs.
"A lot of candidates who can't afford it, had taken money out of their own pockets to run in a campaign in the expectation that the election would be held [in September]," Cr Watson said.
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As raised later in the motion, councillor Annette Alldrick said Labor had spent money on posters and flyers which were made redundant when the election was postponed.
In favour of an all-inclusive COVID-safe postal voting system akin to Victoria's, Cr Watson said state politicians from each party had ulterior motives when they voted against the proposal.
"They saw that as giving them an advantage over other people who might put their hand up in local government and run - and who didn't have the large organisations behind them," said Cr Watson.
"It's good enough for Gladys to call the election off but she wouldn't call her election off - even though she gets public funding."
Greens councillor Kaye Gartner expanded on Cr Watson's proposition stating council should write to the Premier and Local Government Minister Shelley Hancock asking for absolute confirmation that a COVID-safe election will be held on December 4 in order to reduce confusion and uncertainty for candidates.
Labor councillor Annette Alldrick said it had been a difficult 15 months for some councillors who have had their term of council extended because of COVID-19.
"We've had employment problems that we've had to put off, we've got family issues that we have to deal with ... [that] would have been easier to deal with if we weren't doing this but we've stayed on," she said.
"Not once has the Premier, or the Minister for Local Government thanked counsellors for staying on for this extra time."
But not all councillors were in favour of Cr Watson's amendment with councillor Andrew Guile and Joanna Gash taking the hardest stance against it.
"In case it escapes counsellors here, this is not all about us ... the world does not revolve around our political careers," said Cr Guile.
"There happens to be this pandemic thing going on. And you know what comes with pandemics? Costs."
Cr Gash said it was selfish for councillors to suggest candidates should be reimbursed.
"Seriously how selfish can we be when there's so many people who've died, there's so many people who can't see their families, so many people who can't travel overseas," she said.
I can't see my family and I for one want to retire. I've had enough of you.
- Councillor Joanna Gash
In his closing argument of the original motion - which seemed to have little to do with what it evolved into, Cr Pakes joked about his negotiating skills.
"It's taken five odd years but what I've achieved tonight is not only councillor Gartner agreeing with Cr Watson, Cr Gash is agreeing with Cr Guile," he said.
The motion was carried with Crs Guile, Gash and Proudfoot voting against.