Sydney Matters Independent Team: City of Sydney council errors leave businesses in the dark and out of pocket in voting registration debacle

With the deadline for registration fast approaching, the City of Sydney’s business voting process is in disarray with thousands of businesses still unaware they are required by law to vote or face potential fines of up to $2,200.  

Independent City of Sydney Councillor Angela Vithoulkas is demanding answers from Council after uncovering a series of “errors” that have left countless businesses across the local Government area in the dark, overwhelmed and largely unaware of their legal obligations. 

Councillor Vithoulkas says the series of the mistakes has the potential to impact the validity of the upcoming election outcome with errors including:  

 Conflicting and confusing registration cut off dates.  

 Council letters sent to over 10,000 businesses with registration date errors. 

 Lack of effective follow up from Council once errors have been picked up. 

 A complete lack of clarity about which of the NINE forms businesses should use to register. 

 Call centre staff providing conflicting or at times, incorrect information. 

Councillor Vithoulkas says the ongoing errors have occurred, despite Council spending an estimated $7,832 million in ratepayers’ money on the enrolment process and an information campaign to promote the business vote in September’s local government elections. 

“The whole process is overwhelming and confusing and the City of Sydney Council is treating small business owners with utter contempt.  I’m calling for an urgent independent inquiry and audit into the business registration project because we need to get to the bottom of what is going on”. 

“As the deadline gets closer I am being contacted by anxious local businesses who don’t know how to register. It’s terribly unfair that they may face fines of $2,200 if they don’t register on time, all because they were given the wrong information by Council. Business owners are now questioning if the whole system has been set-up to fail, denying them their right to have a say? 

“I have also been told by one of Clover Moore’s team that I am exaggerating the issue because I was a ‘small minded business owner’.  This is not only insulting but it shows a total lack of empathy for business operators who will once again be denied a voice”, Councillor Vithoulkas said. 

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