The new council formed through the forced amalgamation of the former Manly, Pittwater and Warringah Councils consists of roughly 59% of voters from Warringah, 26% from Pittwater and 15% from Manly.
At the Local Government Elections held on Saturday September 9th the Informal Rate has averaged at 11.33%; pretty high, in fact, way above average across the board, the lowest percentage being in Manly, at 7% and the highest in the Curl Curl Ward where a staggering 12.8% either made a mistake or deliberately chose to snub these elections. Narrabeen and Pittwater also had a high ratio of Informal Voters, Narrabeen at 11.94% and Pittwater at 11.33%.
Informal votes fluctuate with 5% being the national average in any form of election in recent years. Past studies post-election have cited a presence of higher numbers of people from culturally diverse or voters from a non-English speaking background being the cause of Informal Votes. With almost 12% of 264 225 people either choosing to or involuntarily voting informally, well over 26 thousand residents have either turned their backs on this ‘brave new world’ and still refuse to acknowledge the council we had to have or the Ballot paper was a mystery to them.
There is clearly a great many, a silent majority, who have voted, well not voted really, with their feet/pen.
Figures for those who did not turn up to vote informally were unavailable as we went to press.
In Pittwater Alex McTaggart won the most votes solely for a candidate, gaining four times more than the next person, Kylie Ferguson, with Robert Hopton just a short way behind the former Deputy Mayor of Pittwater. The Liberals won the most votes overall with the Northern Beaches Independents topping the other votes.
In Narrabeen Vincent DeLuca OAM won the most personal votes, followed by Conny Harris with the Liberals and the Northern Beaches Independents still outstripping all others.
What may rankle those still opposed to being ruled by any former Warringah guise is that the three councillors who voted against taking legal action to save Pittwater will now be their representatives once again, with the Liberals and Kylie Ferguson far outstripping any other Group, followed by Mr. Mc Taggart and then Ian White, now part of the Michael Regan led Northern Beaches Independents.
Despite a clear undercurrent of prevailing outrage in Pittwater of being forced to be reunited with Warringah, if 89% of residents really did want to retain Pittwater Council they either forgot yesterday or have been won over by familiar smiles - likewise for any disaffection with the Liberal Party.
The statistics available at midnight are HERE
At the Local Government Elections held on Saturday September 9th the Informal Rate has averaged at 11.33%; pretty high, in fact, way above average across the board, the lowest percentage being in Manly, at 7% and the highest in the Curl Curl Ward where a staggering 12.8% either made a mistake or deliberately chose to snub these elections. Narrabeen and Pittwater also had a high ratio of Informal Voters, Narrabeen at 11.94% and Pittwater at 11.33%.
Informal votes fluctuate with 5% being the national average in any form of election in recent years. Past studies post-election have cited a presence of higher numbers of people from culturally diverse or voters from a non-English speaking background being the cause of Informal Votes. With almost 12% of 264 225 people either choosing to or involuntarily voting informally, well over 26 thousand residents have either turned their backs on this ‘brave new world’ and still refuse to acknowledge the council we had to have or the Ballot paper was a mystery to them.
There is clearly a great many, a silent majority, who have voted, well not voted really, with their feet/pen.
Figures for those who did not turn up to vote informally were unavailable as we went to press.
In Pittwater Alex McTaggart won the most votes solely for a candidate, gaining four times more than the next person, Kylie Ferguson, with Robert Hopton just a short way behind the former Deputy Mayor of Pittwater. The Liberals won the most votes overall with the Northern Beaches Independents topping the other votes.
Alex McTaggart - AJG Pic.
In Narrabeen Vincent DeLuca OAM won the most personal votes, followed by Conny Harris with the Liberals and the Northern Beaches Independents still outstripping all others.
What may rankle those still opposed to being ruled by any former Warringah guise is that the three councillors who voted against taking legal action to save Pittwater will now be their representatives once again, with the Liberals and Kylie Ferguson far outstripping any other Group, followed by Mr. Mc Taggart and then Ian White, now part of the Michael Regan led Northern Beaches Independents.
Despite a clear undercurrent of prevailing outrage in Pittwater of being forced to be reunited with Warringah, if 89% of residents really did want to retain Pittwater Council they either forgot yesterday or have been won over by familiar smiles - likewise for any disaffection with the Liberal Party.
The statistics available at midnight are HERE
Avalon Historical Society received a load of old bottles this month. Back in 2008 Roger Wickins of Clareville had an open heart surgery to replace a faulty valve. Part of the recovery exercise regime was a daily swim. He found that it was difficult to hold his head above the water due to the scar on his chest so he shaved off his moustache and took to snorkelling. Roger says that tomato soup and snorkelling are a strong argument against a moustache.
When snorkelling at the netted pool which is next to the Royal Australian Navy Torpedo Wharf [part of HMAS Penguin, the diving school,] at Taylor’s Point he was unhappy to see the amount of accumulated rubbish, drink containers, [glass, aluminium and waxed paper,] marine ply, electrical cable, cordage, plastic bags, [mainly ones that had contained bait,] and plastic pipe.
Taylors Point pool.
He set about clearing up the mess. Duck diving improved his lung capacity and he often swam with a garden rake to the amusement of swimmers on the beach. In that summer alone he recycled over one hundred and sixty containers from in and around the pool together with a lot of other rubbish.
Up to the end of the 1960’s glass bottles cast in NSW had the year of manufacture embossed on the bottom. Roger found a number of these bottles which he kept. Some were recycled as birthday presents for those people who “have everything.”
The earliest is dated 1934.
More HERE
Pittwater Online News is Published Every Sunday Morning: 8 a.m.
