The Chairperson of the ACT Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elected Body has notified the Acting Electoral Commissioner that one of the Elected Body’s members, Mr Ross Fowler, 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 2017 Elected Body election who still live in the ACT and who wish to contest the vacancy,” the Acting Electoral Commissioner, Ro Spence said today.

Vacancies on the Elected Body are filled by distributing the votes of the former member.  In effect, those voters who voted for Mr Fowler will determine his replacement” Mr Spence said.

“To begin the formal process for filling the vacancy, I will be placing an advertisement in The Canberra Times on Friday 27 October 2017 inviting candidates who stood unsuccessfully at the 2017 election to contest the vacancy.  Those candidates then have 10 days to apply to contest the vacancy, if they wish to do so,” Mr Spence said.

Applications will close at 12 noon on Monday 6 November 2017.  “A declaration of the names of the candidates who wish to contest the vacancy will be made at 12.30pm that day,” Mr Spence said

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