Council Composition
All South Australian Councils are required to undertake a review of elector representation (a Representation Review) in accordance with a schedule gazetted by the Minister for Local Government. The purpose of a representation review is to determine whether the community would benefit from an alteration to its composition or ward structure to ensure the number of Elected Representatives are adequate to appropriately represent the community.
In September 2016, Council commenced a review of its Elector Representation, which is required by legislation to be undertaken at least once every eight (8) years. The review follows a formal process under Section 12 of the Local Government Act 1999.
Having followed the process set out in the Local Government Act 1999, including two (2) rounds of public consultation, at the May 2017 meeting, Council, in respect to its future composition and structure, resolved:
- That the principal member of Council continues to be a mayor elected by the community.
- To retain the existing ‘no ward’ structure.
- The future elected body of Council comprise 7 area councillors and a mayor.
In July 2016, the Elector Representation Review report was submitted to the Electoral Commission of South Australia for certification. Council received notification from the Electoral Commissioner that the review was conducted appropriately and complied with the requirements of the Local Government Act 1999.
Council’s composition, which will remain unchanged, took effect from the periodic election held in November 2018 and will remain in place until the next Representation Review, due in 2026.
Representation Quota
For the purpose of satisfying the requirements of Schedule 4 of the Local Government Act 1999, Council’s representation quota (in accordance with the figures supplied by the Electoral Commission SA) as at 30 June 2022 was as follows:
| Total Number of Electors | 1863 |
| Elected Members | 8 |
| Principal Member | Mayor |
| Representation Quota | 237 |
To provide a comparison with similar sized Councils throughout the State, Kingston District Council is classified as a ‘Rural Agricultural Medium (RAM) Council’ and is grouped with 10 other Councils in this category. The representation quotas of Councils of a comparative size were:
Council | Electors | Elected Members | Representation Quota |
Barunga West | 2046 | 9 | 227 |
Ceduna | 2124 | 9 | 236 |
Goyder | 3119 | 7 | 445 |
Kangaroo Island | 3617 | 10 | 361 |
Mount Remarkable | 2196 | 7 | 313 |
Northern Areas | 3509 | 9 | 389 |
Southern Mallee | 1339 | 7 | 191 |
Streaky Bay | 1656 | 8 | 207 |
Tumby Bay | 2105 | 7 | 300 |
Yankalilla | 4576 | 9 | 508 |