31 January, 2024
27 candidates have nominated to contest the New South Wales Aboriginal Land Council (NSWALC) elections on Saturday, 24 February.
136 polling booths will be set up across eight of the nine regions to elect the new Council to represent the NSWALC membership for the next four years.
Grace Toomey will become Councillor for the Central Region, after nominating as an uncontested candidate.
The most hotly contested region is the Mid North Coast with five (5) candidates nominating, with four (4) candidates wanting to become the next Sydney/Newcastle Region representative. Incumbents have nominated in eight of the nine regions.
“I welcome that the majority of contests will be three-cornered contests, bar Wiradjuri where two (2) candidates will battle it out,’’ NSWALC CEO Yuseph Deen said.
“It is important we have a strong voter turnout so Aboriginal peoples can have a say in setting the future direction of NSWALC. The new Council will also be responsible for the allocation of the Council’s resources and making decisions on a range of important issues affecting Aboriginal people in New South Wales.
The Network has never been in a better position to generate ongoing benefits from land acquisition and activation for Local Aboriginal Land Councils and Aboriginal communities,” Mr Deen said.
“The new Council will be critical in ensuring the Land Rights Network builds on the success and the hard-fought gains of the last 40 years and continues to thrive. We have inherited a profound legacy and we need to continue to strengthen it for the next 40 years.”
Polling booth locations will be established across the state, with a postal voting option also available.
Candidates, in order of ballot draw are:
Central
Grace Toomey (uncontested)
Mid North Coast
1. Donna Hall
2. Malcolm (Cal) Davis
3. Phillip Hall
4. John Clark
5. Peter Smith
North Coast
1. Diane Randall
2. Tina Williams
3. Dallas Donnelly
North Western
1. Anne Dennis
2. Garry Trindall
3. Joe Flick
Northern
1. Charles Lynch
2. Kelvin Allen
3. Dean Foley
South Coast
1. Terrence (Terry) Hill
2. Danny Chapman
3. Natalie Nye
Sydney Newcastle
1. Lloyd Walker
2. Raymond Kelly
3. Roy Ah-See
4. Barry (BJ) Duncan
Western
1. Warlpa Thompson
2. Ross Hampton
3. Denise O’Donnell
Wiradjuri
1. Leeanne Hampton
2. Judy Bell
Further information about the NSWALC elections including candidates, voting eligibility and polling booth locations can be found on the NSW Electoral Commission website:
And stay up to date on the NSWALC Aboriginal Land Council website www.alc.org.au and our social media platforms on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn: @nswalc