Elections & voting
Central Darling does not follow the usual NSW local government election cycle. Most NSW councils last voted at the statewide ordinary elections on 14 September 2024 and vote again on Saturday 9 September 2028. Central Darling did not — it was under administration at that time, and instead held its own election on Saturday 20 September 2025, the first vote in the shire in more than a decade. That election filled three of the council's six seats, one in each ward; the other three councillors are appointed by the Minister for Local Government under the Rural and Remote Council model.
New to these terms? Read them in plain English
- Ward
- A subdivision of a council area that elects its own councillors.
- How the mayor is chosen
- Either elected directly by voters, or chosen by the councillors.
- Special Rate Variation (SRV)
- Permission for a council to raise rates by more than the peg.
- NSW Electoral Commission (NSWEC)
- Runs council elections and publishes the official results.
Election facts
- Last election
- Saturday 20 September 2025Results declared by the Returning Officer on Tuesday 14 October 2025. The councillors took office at the first meeting of the new council on 4 December 2025.
- How Central Darling votes
- Three wards (A, B and C), one councillor elected in eachThe other three of the six councillors are appointed by the Minister for Local Government, and the Minister also appoints the Chairperson. The Deputy Chairperson is elected by the councillors.
- 2025 ward results
- A Ward — Peter Sullivan; B Ward — Max Bradley; C Ward — Daniel Fusi (uncontested)In A Ward, 204 formal votes were counted from 210 ballot papers across four candidates; in B Ward, 267 formal votes from 274 ballot papers across five candidates. C Ward was uncontested, so electors enrolled there did not need to vote.
- Next ordinary election
- Not published for Central DarlingNSW-wide ordinary local government elections are held every four years on the second Saturday of September, with the next on Saturday 9 September 2028. As at August 2026 we could not find a date published for Central Darling's next election on either the council's website or the NSW Electoral Commission's. Check the NSWEC and OLG links below.
- Voting
- Compulsory for enrolled residentsNot voting can result in a fine. Voting centres in 2025 included Wilcannia, Ivanhoe, Menindee, and mobile pre-poll at Tilpa and White Cliffs.
- Enrol / check enrolment
- NSW Electoral Commission
Sources — check it yourself
- NSW Electoral Commission — 2025 Central Darling Shire Council election results · Declared 14 Oct 2025
- NSW Electoral Commission — Central Darling A Ward first preference votes · Oct 2025
- NSW Electoral Commission — Central Darling B Ward first preference votes · Oct 2025
- Central Darling Shire Council — 2025 Council election information · 2025
- NSW Electoral Commission — how local elections work
- Office of Local Government — become a councillor / election dates · Statewide next: Sep 2028
Figures are current as at the dates shown and may change — always confirm with the linked source. See the notice at the bottom of the page for full details and how to report a correction.