Become a Mingenew Councillor

Councillors are elected to represent the interest of all electors and residents and provide leadership and guidance to the community. They play an important community leadership role and create policies and resolve decisions that the Council makes about what happens locally. Councillors generally do not have any authority to act or make decisions as individuals. They are members of an elected body that makes decisions on behalf of a local government through a formal meeting process.

If you haven’t already, we recommend you have a look at the Minutes from past Council meetings to see what decisions Council makes or come along to a Council meeting to see one in person; Council meets on the third Wednesday of every second month (except January).

For more information, check out these fact sheets from the Department of Local Government Sport and Cultural Industries:

• • The Role of a Council Member

• • Council Members Responsibilities and Rights

• • What Happens When You Become a Council Member

If you think you might be interested in the role, have a look at this video from the WA Local Government Association.

To be eligible, you must:

• Be over 18 years of age
• Be an elector (resident or owner/occupier) of the district
• Have completed a mandatory online induction via the Department of Local Government, Sport & Cultural Industries.

A person cannot nominate to be a candidate nor remain a councillor if they:

• are a member of State or Federal Parliament
• are a member of the council of another local government
• are an insolvent under administration
• are in prison serving a sentence for a crime
• have been convicted of a serious local government offence within the last five years (unless the court waived the disqualification)
• have been convicted on indictment of an offence for which the indictable penalty was, or included: imprisonment for life, or imprisonment for more than five years
• are subject to a court order disqualifying them from being a member of a council because they have misapplied local government funds or property
• are a nominee of a body corporate
• propose standing for two positions on council (unless standing for mayor or president as well as councillor)
• are currently disqualified by the State Administrative Tribunal from holding office as a member of a council.

Before nominating for local government elections, all candidates must complete the online Candidate Induction.

This free induction is designed to help potential councillors understand the role and responsibilities of being a local government councillor. It covers topics such as:

• • The duties of council and councillors

• • Election rules and campaign requirements

• • Recent changes in councillor obligations

It also serves as a useful refresher for former councillors.

The induction is available on the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries website.

• • Mandatory Online Candidate Induction

If you don’t have internet access, you can complete the module at the Shire offices.

At the end of the induction, candidates must complete a registration form. This generates a confirmation email with a reference number, which must be recorded on your nomination form. All candidates will be required to declare they have completed the induction at the time of nomination. The Shire will verify this with the Department.

For assistance, please contact the Shire’s Manager Governance & Community on (08) 9928 1102.

Submit the following to the Returning Officer during the nomination period:

• A completed nomination form

  • To nominate yourself
  • Nomination for Election by Candidate
  • To nominate someone else
  • Nomination for Election by Agent

• A candidate profile which must:

  • be in English
  • be no more than 1000 characters (including spaces)
  • not contain false, defamatory or misleading information
  • fit on an A4 page
  • include the candidate’s full name and contact information

• A $100 deposit

• Optional photo (no larger than passport-sized and taken in the last six months)

• Optional written statement in English, of up to 2,000 characters (including spaces)

Nominations must be signed by the candidate in front of a witness. Leave yourself enough time in case amendments are required before the deadline.

All candidates will receive a copy of the Code of Conduct for Elected Members, Committee Members and Candidates, which must be read and acknowledged.

It is important that Candidates are aware of their obligations. The Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries Resources also provides a range of resources to help you understand the role and requirements of becoming a councillor:

Mandatory Induction

• • Mandatory Local Government Candidate Induction

Candidate Fact Sheets and Sessions

• • Local Government Elections Standing for Council (Candidate Information Session)

• • An Introduction to Local Government

• • The Role of a council member

• • Nominating to be a council member

• • Election campaigning

• • Conduct of local government elections

• • Electoral gifts and crowd funding

• • What happens when you become a council member

Recommended Strategic Documents

The Shire encourages prospective candidates to review the following key documents to better understand community priorities and local government strategy:

Strategic Community Plan 2023-33

Strategic Priorities and CBP Update 2025-26