Coming up at Panthers Newcastle on 4th September at 7pm!
The NSW Local Government Elections will be held on September 8th. Newcastle will be getting a new Lord Mayor, as a result of the retirement of John Tate after three terms of office. Seven candidates have nominated for the position. The circumstances of the election, the wide field of candidates, the controversy that has involved Council in recent years, and the complexities of the optional preferential voting system make it difficult to pick who will be likely to win this important position, at a time of great change in the city.
As was done at previous State and Local Government Elections, the Newcastle Institute is conducting a Public Forum allowing the public to meet all the candidates together, and compare their policies, promises and performance under questioning. All candidates have agreed to take part. The MC for the evening will be Bernie Curran, a patron of the Institute.
This forum is being run in partnership with the Newcastle Herald.
Candidates will each be given the opportunity to give a policy statement stating why they should be elected. They will then be interviewed individually by journalist Felicity Biggins, who will ask the tough questions, tailored to each candidate. Candidates will also be asked to respond to questions for all, and will be given an opportunity for a short ‘wrap-up’ at the end of the evening.
Questions shall be selected by a diversely representative panel from those submitted by the public through the Newcastle Institute website, or through the evening’s co-host, the Newcastle Herald.
As at previous events, all candidates shall be treated equally, fairly and respectfully. The Newcastle Institute takes no position, other than wanting the best possible leadership for the city.
THIS FORUM IS OPEN TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC
VENUE: Panthers Club Newcastle (formerly Newcastle Workers Club)
DATE: Tuesday 4th September 2012
TIME: 7.00 till 9.00pm ADMISSION: Free
FURTHER DETAILS: www.newinstitute.org.au or Angie at 0422401129
Submit your questions here.