DISPUTED ELECTION RESULTS RAISE COUNCIL CONCERNS

COUNCILLORS will be asked Wednesday to endorse the WA Electoral Commission to run a $162,581 postal vote in Fremantle in October two years after it botched local government elections in the new central and coastal wards.
On February 11, Magistrate Trevor Darge will decide whether fresh elections will be held after former South Ward Cr Marija Vujcic and Greater Fremantle Community and Business Association challenged the 2023 results of the WAEC-run elections in which thousands of ballot papers were recalled as a result of a mail mix-up in both wards.
One of the first residents to highlight errors and irregularities WAEC later corrected, South Fremantle resident Ian Ker told StreetWise the case creates uncertainties for council.
He said the court could declare the 2023 elections valid on the grounds that there was insufficient evidence the WAEC errors had a big enough impact to have changed the results.
The balance of power in coastal fell to Labor-backed Cr Jemima Williamson-Wong who defeated independent councillor Ms Vujcic by 71 first-preference votes (Wong 955/Vujcic 884).
“In this case, Cr Williamson-Wong’s election would stand and her term would continue to October 2027,” he said. “Similarly for Cr Graham in central ward.”
However, if the court declared that the WAEC errors were sufficient to invalidate the election, “a coastal ward (and central ward) vacancy would exist from the date of the judgement”.
The question is whether Fremantle would hold elections to fill those vacancies before the next local government elections in October. New elections would take place after the State election on March 8.
“To avoid inequity of councillor numbers between wards, council could decide to hold an extraordinary election for central ward (with term to October 2027) but not for coastal ward, with the election for the coastal ward vacancy being held at the October 2025 election,” Mr Ker added.
“To maintain the intent of council’s resolution on reducing the number of councillors (which included over-representation of coastal and east wards from 2023 to 2025), council could choose to hold extraordinary elections for coastal and central wards, with the successful persons elected through to October 2027.”
Cr Williamson-Wong presumably as one of the interested parties in proceedings will declare her interest on Wednesday. In two weeks, she could be back campaigning for the seat she has filled for the past two years.
And Ms Vujcic will join her with Crs Andrew Sullivan and Adin Lang also vying for the only two spots in coastal ward. If the 2023 elections are declared valid, Crs Sullivan and Lang will contest the remaining seat.
The mayoral slot also is up for grabs. If you believe Hannah Fitzhardinge, once her term is up she will not, “want to be in state government. No thank you. I’m really really happy here in Freo. And actually I’ve kind of got a day job that I love too so I will be OK if I’m not your mayor. There are plenty of things I want to be doing, state government isn’t one of them”.
There is no reason given her overstated public profile that she will change her mind and run again. If re-elected mayor, Cr Fitzhardinge will join eight councillors representing four wards including four councillors who are not running this October; Geoff Graham (central), Frank Mofflin (east), Ingrid van Dorssen (north) and Jemima Williamson-Wong (coastal).
However, Crs Graham and Williamson-Wong will have to wait until February 11 to find out whether they will have to run again. Interestingly, the City’s page ‘Election General FAQs’ states before the elected members’ vote on Wednesday that WAEC will run the postal election on October 18.