The Chairperson of the ACT Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elected Body has notified the ACT Electoral Commissioner that one of Elected Body’s members, Mr Richard Allan, has resigned his position on the Elected Body.

“I am now required to announce the vacancy and call for applications from the unsuccessful candidates at the 2014 Elected Body election who still live in the ACT, who wish to contest the vacancy,” the Electoral Commissioner, Phil Green said today.

Vacancies on the Elected Body are filled by distributing the votes of the former member. “As Mr Allan was elected following the casual vacancy resulting from the resignation of Ms Jo Donovan, the votes that elected Ms Donovan in the 2014 Elected Body election will be redistributed to determine the vacating Mr Allan’s replacement. In effect, those voters who voted for Ms Donovan will again determine the vacating member’s replacement” Mr Green said.

“To begin the formal process for filling the vacancy, I will be placing an advertisement in The Canberra Times on Friday 19 February 2016 inviting candidates who stood unsuccessfully at the 2014 election to contest the vacancy. Those candidates then have 10 days to apply to contest the vacancy, if they wish to do so,” Mr Green said.

Applications will close at 12 noon on Monday 29 February 2016. “A declaration of the names of the candidates who wish to contest the vacancy will be made at 12.30pm that day,” Mr Green said.

“Then, if more than one candidate applies to contest the vacancy, a distribution of the votes received by Ms Donovan will take place at the Elections ACT office, commencing at 2 pm that same day, to elect a candidate to fill the vacancy,” Mr Green said.