2020 Ipswich City Council election explained

Country:	Queensland
Ongoing:	no
Previous Election:	2016 Ipswich City Council election
Previous Year:	2016
Next Election:	2024 Ipswich City Council election
Next Year:	2024
Outgoing Members:	2017 (mayor)
Election Date:	28 March 2020
Turnout:	78.64%
Module:	Election Name: Mayor Embed: yes Type: parliamentary Ongoing: no Image1: IND Party1: Ind. LNP Colour1: 1C5CED Popular Vote1: 54,721 Percentage1: 45.62% Swing1: 4.51 Candidate2: David Martin Party2: Independent politician Popular Vote2: 38,029 Percentage2: 31.70% Swing2: 8.04 Candidate3: Pat Walsh Party3: Queensland Greens Popular Vote3: 14,411 Percentage3: 14.80% Swing3: 8.07 1Blank: 2CP 2Blank: 2CP swing 1Data1: 62.98% 2Data1: 62.98 1Data2: 37.02% 2Data2: 37.02 Administrator Posttitle: Elected mayor Before Election: Greg Chemello Before Party: Independent After Party: Independent LNP Module: Embed: yes Ongoing: no Election Name: Councillors Seats For Election: All 9 members on the City Council (including the Mayor) Majority Seats: 5 Party1: Independent Labor (Australia) Leader1: N/A Percentage1: 40.41 Seats1: 2 Last Election1: 6 Party2: Your Voice Of Experience Colour2: D93831 Leader2: Paul Tully Percentage2: 20.50 Seats2: 2 Last Election2: 0 Party3: Independent politician Leader3: N/A Percentage3: 16.49 Seats3: 4 Last Election3: 4

The 2020 Ipswich City Council election was held on 28 March 2020 to elect a mayor and eight councillors to the City of Ipswich. The election was held as part of the statewide local elections in Queensland, Australia.^[1]

Teresa Harding was elected mayor with 62.98% of the vote after preferences, becoming the first non-Labor Party aligned Ipswich mayor in 50 years.

The election saw significant changes to the council's electoral system, and followed its dismissal in August 2018.

Background

2017 mayoral by-election

See main article: 2017 Ipswich mayoral by-election. On 6 June 2017, mayor Paul Pisasale announced his resignation, citing a decline in his health due to multiple sclerosis. The announcement came one day after his office was searched by the Queensland Crime and Corruption Commission and police.^[2]

Andrew Antoniolli was elected mayor with 54.44% of the vote after preferences.^[3]

2018 dismissal

In May 2018, Antoniolli was charged with seven counts of corruption forcing him to stand down and administrators to take over Ipswich City Council.^[4]

In August 2018, the Queensland Government passed legislation to dismiss all Ipswich councillors and replace them with an administrator.^[5] The dismissal officially came into effect on 21 August.^[6]

Greg Chemello was appointed as administrator to serve for the rest of the term.^[7]

Electoral system

Prior to 2020, Ipswich City Council was composed of a directly elected mayor and 10 single-member wards (or divisions), both using optional preferential voting.^[8]

In July 2019, it was announced that the 10 single-member wards would be replaced by four two-member wards, reducing the total amount of councillors to eight.^[8] Preferential voting was removed and replaced by plurality block voting (also referred to as first-past-the-post by the Electoral Commission), where voters are only required to mark the same amount of candidates as there are positions to be elected − in the case of Ipswich, two candidates.^{[9] [10]}

The electoral system for mayor was unchanged.^[8]

Candidates

Teresa Harding, a government contractor and former two-time Liberal National candidate for Blair, contested the mayoral election without any party endorsement.^[11]

Two Labor Party members, Mark Williams and Ursula Monsiegneur, contested the mayoral election as Independent Labor candidates.^{[12] [13]}

Pat Walsh was endorsed by the Greens to contest the mayoralty. The Liberal Democrats endorsed two councillor candidates, husband and wife Anthony and Jacinta Bull.^[14]

Paul Tully, who served as a councillor for 39 years until its dismissal, led the "Your Voice Of Experience" ticket in Division 2.^[15]

Results

Councillors

Notes and References

1. Web site: 2020 Local Government Elections . Electoral Commission of Queensland . https://web.archive.org/web/20240111234038/https://results1.elections.qld.gov.au/lga2020 . 11 January 2024.
2. News: Pisasale steps down as Ipswich Mayor in hospital gown amid CCC investigation. 6 June 2017. ABC News. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20170606003141/http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-06-06/paul-pisasale-ipswich-city-mayor-steps-down-ccc-investigation/8592332. 6 June 2017. dmy-all.
3. Web site: 2017 Ipswich City Council Mayoral By-Election - Election Summary . Electoral Commission of Queensland.
4. Web site: Results - Division 7 By-Election. Electoral Commission of Queensland. 14 March 2018. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20180314174730/https://results.ecq.qld.gov.au/elections/local/ICCD7/results/district7.html. 14 March 2018.
5. News: UPDATE: MPs sack Ipswich council, appoint administrator. Johnson. Hayden. 21 August 2018. The Queensland Times. 2 September 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180902084254/https://www.qt.com.au/news/dismissal-how-and-when-state-will-sack-ipswich-cou/3498890/. 2 September 2018. live. dmy-all.
6. Web site: Allegations of corruption related to the Ipswich City Council (Operation Windage) . Crime and Corruption Commission Queensland.
7. Web site: Interim administrator appointed for Ipswich City Council . Brisbane Times.
8. Web site: How Ipswich will be divided after next council election . Brisbane Times . 11 July 2019.
9. Web site: First-past-the-post voting . Electoral Commission of Queensland.
10. Web site: Qld Local Government . ABC News.
11. Web site: First non-Labor-aligned mayor in 50 years likely in Ipswich . Brisbane Times.
12. Web site: MARK THOMAS WILLIAMS . Electoral Commission of Queensland.
13. Web site: URSULA JANE MONSIEGNEUR . Electoral Commission of Queensland.
14. Web site: Candidates hold tight to top spots . The Courier Mail.
15. Web site: Veteran ex-councillor back with a new team . The Courier Mail . 3 March 2020.