The term "Citizens' Dividend" is explained at
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizen%27s_dividend
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This article is about the concept in Georgist economics. For the socialist concept, see Social dividend. For 'Citizen's Income', meaning an unconditional income for every individual, see Basic income.
Citizen's dividend is a proposed policy based upon the principle that the natural world is the common property of all persons (see Georgism). It is proposed that all citizens receive regular payments (dividends) from revenue raised by leasing or taxing the monopoly of valuable land and other natural resources.
History
A concept akin to a citizen's dividend was known in Classical Athens. In 483 BC, a massive new seam of silver was found in the Athenian silver mines at Laurium. The dispersal of this provoked great debate. The statesman Aristides proposed the profit from this should be distributed among the Athenian citizens. However he was opposed by Themistocles, who proposed the money be spent building warships for the Athenian navy. In the end, Themistocles' policy was the one adopted.
In the United Kingdom and United States, the idea can be traced back to Thomas Paine's essay, Agrarian Justice, which is also considered one of the earliest proposals for a social security system. Thomas Paine summarized his view by stating that "Men did not make the earth. It is the value of the improvements only, and not the earth itself, that is individual property. Every proprietor owes to the community a ground rent for the land which he holds." Paine saw inheritance as being partly a common fund and wanted to supplement the citizen's dividend in a tax on inheritance transfers, but Georgist supporters now focus on natural resources.
Implementations and proposals
This concept is a form of basic income guarantee, where the citizen's dividend depends upon the value of natural resources or what could be titled as common goods like location values, seignorage, the electromagnetic spectrum, the industrial use of air (CO2 production), etc.
The U.S. state of Alaska dispenses a form of citizen's dividend in its Permanent Fund dividend, which holds investments initially seeded by the state's revenue from mineral resources, particularly petroleum. In 2005, every eligible Alaskan resident (including children) received a check for $845.76. Over the 24-year history of the fund, it has paid out a total of $24,775.45 to every resident. Some believe this dividend as the reason why Alaska has one of the lowest rates of inequality and relatively low levels of poverty compared to other US states. A 2018 paper found that the Alaska Permanent Fund "dividend had no effect on employment, and increased part-time work by 1.8 percentage points (17 percent)... our results suggest that a universal and permanent cash transfer does not significantly decrease aggregate employment."
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Georgism is explained at
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgism
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Georgism (also called geoism [modern] or the single tax movement [archaic]) is an economic ideology holding that while people should own the value they produce themselves, the economic rent derived from land, including from all natural resources and natural opportunities, should belong equally to all members of society. Developed from the writings of American economist and social reformer Henry George, the Georgist paradigm seeks solutions to social and ecological problems, based on principles of land rights and public finance which attempt to integrate economic efficiency with social justice.
Georgism is concerned with the distribution of economic rent caused by natural monopolies, pollution and the control of commons, including title of ownership for natural resources and other contrived privileges (e.g. intellectual property). Any natural resource which is inherently limited in supply can generate economic rent, but the classical and most significant example of land monopoly involves the extraction of common ground rent from valuable urban locations. Georgists argue that taxing economic rent is efficient, fair and equitable. The main Georgist policy recommendation is a tax assessed on land value. Georgists argue that revenues from a land value tax (LVT) can be used to reduce or eliminate existing taxes (for example, on income, trade, or purchases) that are unfair and inefficient. Some Georgists also advocate for the return of surplus public revenue to the people by means of a basic income or citizen's dividend.
The concept of gaining public revenues mainly from land and natural resource privileges was widely popularized by Henry George through his first book, Progress and Poverty (1879). The philosophical basis of Georgism dates back to several early thinkers such as John Locke, Baruch Spinoza and Thomas Paine. Economists since Adam Smith and David Ricardo have observed that a public levy on land value does not cause economic inefficiency, unlike other taxes. A land value tax also has progressive tax effects. Advocates of land value taxes argue that they would reduce economic inequality, increase economic efficiency, remove incentives to underutilize urban land and reduce property speculation.
Georgist ideas were popular and influential during the late 19th and early 20th century. Political parties, institutions and communities were founded based on Georgist principles during that time. Early devotees of Henry George's economic philosophy were often termed Single Taxers for their political goal of raising public revenue mainly or only from a land value tax, although Georgists endorsed multiple forms of rent capture (e.g., seigniorage) as legitimate. The term Georgism was invented later, and some prefer the term geoism as more generic.
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The Alaskan Permanent Fund Dividend is explained at
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alaska_Permanent_Fund
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The Alaska Permanent Fund is a constitutionally established permanent fund managed by a state-owned corporation, the Alaska Permanent Fund Corporation (APFC). It was established in Alaska in 1976 by Article 9, Section 15 of the Alaska State Constitution under Governor Jay Hammond ("Jay Sterner Hammond (July 21, 1922 - August 2, 2005) was an American politician of the Republican Party, who served as the fourth governor of Alaska from 1974 to 1982. ... He oversaw the creation of the Alaska Permanent Fund in 1976, which, since the early 1980s, has paid annual dividends to Alaska residents. He advocated for fiscal responsibility." -
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jay_Hammond
). From February 1976 until April 1980, the Department of Revenue Treasury Division managed the state's Permanent Fund assets, until, in 1980, the Alaska State Legislature created the APFC.
As of 2019, the fund was worth approximately $64 billion that has been funded by oil revenues and has paid out an average of approximately $1,600 annually per resident (adjusted to 2019 dollars). The main use for the fund's revenue has been to payout the Permanent Fund Dividend (PFD), which many authors portray as the only example of a Basic Income in practice.
History
Shortly after the oil from Alaska's North Slope began flowing to market through the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System, the Permanent Fund was created by an amendment to the Alaska Constitution. It was designed to be an investment where at least 25% of the oil money would be put into a dedicated fund for future generations, who would no longer have oil as a resource. This does not mean the fund is solely funded by oil revenue. The Fund includes neither property taxes on oil company property nor income tax from oil corporations, so the minimum 25% deposit is closer to 11% if those sources were also considered. The Alaska Permanent Fund sets aside a certain share of oil revenues to continue benefiting current and all future generations of Alaskans. Many citizens also believed that the legislature too quickly and too inefficiently spent the $900 million bonus the state got in 1969 after leasing out the oil fields. This belief spurred a desire to put some oil revenues out of direct political control.
The Alaska Permanent Fund Corporation manages the assets of both the Permanent Fund and other state investments, but spending Fund income is up to the Legislature. The Corporation is to manage for maximum prudent return, and not - as some Alaskans at first wanted - as a development bank for in-state projects. The Fund grew from an initial investment of $734,000 in 1977 to approximately $53.7 billion as of July 9, 2015. Some growth was due to good management, some to inflationary re-investment, and some via legislative decisions to deposit extra income during boom years. Each year, the fund's realized earnings are split between inflation-proofing, operating expenses, and the annual Permanent Fund Dividend.
The fund is a member of the International Forum of Sovereign Wealth Funds and has therefore signed up to the Santiago Principles on best practice in managing sovereign wealth funds.
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Permanent Fund Dividend
The Permanent Fund Dividend (PFD) is a dividend paid to Alaska residents that have lived within the state for a full calendar year (January 1 - December 31), and intend to remain an Alaska resident indefinitely. This means if residency is taken on January 2, the "calendar year" wouldn't start until next January 1.
However, an individual is not eligible for a PFD for a dividend year if:
(1) they were absent from Alaska for more than 180 days, unless it was on an allowable absence;
(2) during the qualifying year, the individual was sentenced as a result of conviction in this state of a felony;
(3) during all or part of the qualifying year, the individual was incarcerated as a result of the conviction in this state of a
(A) felony; or
(B) misdemeanor if the individual has been convicted of
(i) a prior felony as defined in AS 11.81.900 ; or
(ii) two or more prior misdemeanors as defined in AS 11.81.900
The amount of each payment is based upon a five-year average of the Permanent Fund's performance and varies widely depending on the stock market and many other factors. The PFD is calculated by the following steps:
Add fund statutory net income from the current plus the previous four fiscal years.
Multiply by 21%
Divide by 2
Subtract prior year obligations, expenses and PFD program operations
Divide by the number of eligible applicants
The lowest individual dividend payout was $331.29 in 1984 and the highest was $2,072 in 2015. However, in 2008 Governor Sarah Palin signed Senate Bill 4002 that used revenues generated from the state's natural resources and provided a one-time special payment of $1,200 to every Alaskan eligible for the PFD.
Although the principal or corpus of the fund is constitutionally protected, income earned by the fund, like nearly all state income, is constitutionally defined as general fund money.
The first dividend plan would have paid Alaskans $50 for each year of residency up to 20 years, but the U.S. Supreme Court in Zobel v. Williams, 457 U.S. 55 (1982) disapproved the $50 per year formula as an invidious distinction burdening interstate travel. As a result, each qualified resident now receives the same annual amount, regardless of age or years of residency.
Payments from the fund are subject to federal income tax. Alaska has no state income tax, but part-year residents who leave the state may be taxed on them by their new state of residence.
The PFD is a Basic Income in the form of a resource dividend. Some researchers argue, "It has helped Alaska attain the highest economic equality of any state in the United States. ... And, seemingly unnoticed, it has provided unconditional cash assistance to needy Alaskans at a time when most states have scaled back aid and increased conditionality."
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Impact
A 2018 paper found that the Alaska Permanent Fund "dividend had no effect on employment, and increased part-time work by 1.8 percentage points (17 percent)... our results suggest that a universal and permanent cash transfer does not significantly decrease aggregate employment."
A 2019 study found "a 14% increase in substance-abuse incidents the day after the [Alaska Permanent Fund] payment and a 10% increase over the following four weeks. This is partially offset by a 8% decrease in property crime, with no changes in violent crimes. On an annual basis, however, changes in criminal activity from the payment are small. Estimated costs comprise a very small portion of the total payment, suggesting that crime-related concerns of a universal cash transfer program may be unwarranted."
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At
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-09-25/surplus-budget-in-wa-despite-coronavirus-pandemic-payments/12705148
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The WA Government has reported a $1.7 billion budget surplus for 2019-20 despite the economic toll of the COVID-19 pandemic, with the State Opposition labelling it "unacceptable" and urging the Government to spend more to help struggling households.
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The McGowan Government is spending $5.5 billion on the COVID-19 WA Recovery Plan to help drive economic and social recovery.
But Shadow Treasurer Dean Nalder said the huge surplus showed it was not doing enough.
"It is unacceptable to be delivering a $1.7 billion surplus at a time of a global pandemic," Mr Nalder said.
"Especially when we are seeing a record level of households suffering mortgage stress and an unemployment rate higher than the national average.
"We know that the State Government is understating the size of this budget surplus with nearly a billion dollars in deferred dividends.
"So it is actually a budget surplus in excess of $2.5 billion.
"I believe a lot of West Australians would be really concerned and going: 'Why is the Government delivering these types of budget surpluses at a time when there are so many people struggling?'"
Iron ore sales drive royalties
The budget surplus was helped by $945 million more than expected in royalty income, primarily due to higher-than-expected iron ore prices which averaged US$92.9 per tonne throughout the year - 26 per cent above the Government's predictions.
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Mr Wyatt (the WA state Treasurer)hinted that investment in job-creating infrastructure projects would be a big feature of the state budget, which will be handed down next month.
He said to expect a very different fiscal outlook for the coming years than what was outlined in last year's budget, with the impact of the coronavirus likely to see projected surpluses revised down.
"Given the significant impact of COVID-19, the Government is now shifting its focus from reducing net debt to supporting our economy," he said.
"The full impact of COVID-19 on the state's finances will take some time to be captured as the economic impacts continue to be felt and the Government continues to fund the state's recovery.
"Every cent of the surplus achieved in 2019-20 has been allocated to the Asset Investment Program to fund projects that support and create local jobs.
"The priority in a COVID world is not driving down net debt - the priority is Western Australians and the state's economic future."
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Now, this involves a number of different issues.
The first, is the issue of who should get the benefit of the resources that are extracted through mining, etc; the oil, gas, minerals, etc.
As these resources come from the ground and the waterways, that are owned by the people of the state, the people of the state should be the beneficiaries of revenue paid to the state government, in the form of taxes.
The people of Western Australia, are mostly of the precariat class of people; lacking security of both employment, for those who are employed, and, income, for those who have income. And, this is aggravated by the effects, including especially, the economic effects of the coronavirus epidemic, which has caused some people to lose their employment, some people who have retained their employment, to have had to accept cuts in their income, and, others to otherwise lose their sources of income.
So, while the Western Australian state government is gloating over its surplus, and, telling the people of Western Australia, that the state government is stimulating the economy by giving its surplus, and, especially, the revenue from mining, etc, to its rich mates, and, not to the people who need it, the people of Western Australia, sink deeper into poverty and despair.
The only true way for the state government to stimulate the western Australian economy, is to immediately divide the state government surplus, of 1700million or 2500million AUD, whichever amount it is, amongst the residents of Western Australia, paid in monthly instalments, over the remainder of the financial year, to help us to get through the crisis, and, to implement an equivalent of the Alaskan Permanent Fund, with its Dividend that gets paid to the Alaskan residents.
And, in the above cited news report, where the Shadow Treasurer, Dean Nalder, is reported to have said,
"I believe a lot of West Australians would be really concerned and going: 'Why is the Government delivering these types of budget surpluses at a time when there are so many people struggling?'"
where is his bill to be put to the Western Australian state parliament, with the support of his party, to establish a Citizens Dividend, for the struggling people of WA, and, to establish an equivalent of the Alaskan Permanent Fund, to introduce responsible management and stabilisation of the Western Australian state economy, incorporating the Citizens Dividend, like the Alaskan Permanent Fund Dividend?
Or, is Dean Nalder, the Western Australian state Shadow Treasurer, simply gratuitously making noise, without any substance?
At
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-07-16/iron-ore-price-boosts-western-australia-economy-despite-covid-19/12460916
as viewed at 1103WST (UTC+0800) on 15 October 2020, was
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Western Australia's economy should recover from the economic hit of COVID-19 quicker than other states, thanks to a stronger than expected price of iron ore, analysts believe.
Increasing demand from China and supply issues in Brazil have seen the iron ore price sit well above forecasted expectations, today above $US112 per tonne.
"It's beyond expectations that anyone would've had going back six months or so," Deloitte Access Economics partner Noel Richards said.
"If it weren't for COVID-19, these would be really significant windfall gains that would actually support the budget bottom line."
The price has not dipped below $US100/t so far in the 2020/21 financial year.
But with expectations of a balancing-out of supply and demand in the market, in December last year the WA Government updated its pricing forecast of the commodity down to an average $US65/t in over three years.
"The state budget is very sensitive to commodity prices, and to iron ore prices in particular," Mr Richards said.
"There's a relationship of about an $80 million impact to the budget bottom line for every $US1 of movement in the iron ore price, so that's very significant.
"The price being much, much higher than [$US65/t], it's obviously going to deliver some really significant gains to the budget bottom line."
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"So to have one revenue stream and royalties really supporting and growing the budget bottom line is very welcome, and that's important for the economy because the State Government does have an important role to play in continuing to support economic growth in Western Australia."
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So, for the WA state parliament to stabilise the economy and support economic growth, the revenue from taxes on extracted resources, needs to be put in an equivalent of the Alaskan Permanent Fund, and, a Citizens' Dividend paid to the residents of the state of Western Australia, like the Alaskan Permanent Fund Dividend, so that the people of Western Australia can benefit, instead of just making the members of the state parliament, and their rich mates, richer.
At
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-05-10/keeping-wa-mines-open-in-coronavirus-may-save-australian-economy/12227448
as viewed at 0050 on 15 October 2020, was
"But while the mining sector remained strong, Mr Wyatt said many WA households would not be feeling prosperous and the state was at risk of slipping into a two-speed economy."
So, while the rich get richer, the precariat get poorer. And, the members of the state legislature, and their rich mates, are raking in money, that they are withholding from the precariat. It is all, state parliament policy.
And, at
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-10-08/wa-budget-surplus-border-predicted-down-by-june/12743674
as viewed at 0150 on 15 October 2020, was
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Iron ore royalties continue to prop up the state's bottom line, and are expected to generate $7.4 billion this financial year alone.
(that is 7400 million AUD, not 7.4 true billion (the true meaning of billion, is million million, but, this is Australia, where the truth is officially regarded as irrelevant), and, that is the expected amount of the royalties from only iron ore, and, not all of the expected royalties from all extracted resources in the state)
That is based on an iron ore rate of $US96.6 a tonne, well below current levels.
Overall, the state economy is expected to grow 1.25 per cent this financial year, defying global trends and the grim forecast of recession that was anticipated in April.
Mr Wyatt said business and consumer sentiment were rebounding strongly, with retail trade increasing faster during August than in the past seven years.
The unemployment rate is expected to peak at 8 per cent this financial year
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Treasury figures revealed if a second wave of COVID-19 was to occur, bringing with it a six week lockdown, it would wipe $5.6 billion off the domestic economy and cut employment by more than 30,000.
But it expects the mining sector would remain untouched.
However, the Premier stressed the Budget forecasts were based on WA remaining free of coronavirus.
"The biggest threat to Western Australia is a second wave of coronavirus," Mr McGowan said.
"We are surrounded by a world of uncertainty."
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WA's Shadow Treasurer Dean Nalder slammed the budget as lacking a clear plan for jobs and the economy.
"They have delivered a surplus at a time when households and small businesses are experiencing very tough times and they haven't done enough to support [them]," Mr Nalder said.
"There is nothing here for small business and nothing here for households to give them any confidence that the Government is looking out for them.
"The Government has become more and more dependent on mining royalties and they've missed an opportunity to invest in other industries to pivot our economy away and better protect the future interests of Western Australia."
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So, Dean Nalder, Western Australian state Shadow Treasurer, where is your bill to be put to the Western Australian state parliament, with the support of your party, to establish a Citizens Dividend, for the poor and struggling people of Western Australia, and, to establish an equivalent of the Alaskan Permanent Fund, to introduce responsible management and stabilisation of the Western Australian state economy, incorporating the Citizens Dividend, like the Alaskan Permanent Fund Dividend, to support the poor and struggling residents of Western Australia?
Or, are you, Dean Nalder, the Western Australian state Shadow Treasurer, simply gratuitously making noise, without any substance?
At
https://reneweconomy.com.au/western-australian-gas-producers-pay-paltry-royalties-to-government/
as viewed on 17 January 2022, was
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Western Australian gas producers pay paltry royalties to government
Michael Mazengarb 17 January 2022
The bulk of Western Australian LNG production is subject to little or even zero tax, undermining fossil fuel industry claims that its revenues are critical to the funding of government services.
Analysis produced by The Australia Institute estimates that $27 billion worth of LNG was exported from Western Australia in 2021, but just $430 million was paid to the WA state government in royalties.
This sees LNG royalties making up just 1 per cent of state government revenues and contributing a smaller amount to the government's income than vehicle registration fees.
Chevron's Gorgon gas project - host to Australia's only operational and troubled carbon capture and storage project - paid just $7 million in tax in the 2019-20 financial year, while producing estimated revenues of as much as $32 million a day.
The Australia Institute found that around 99 per cent of state LNG royalties were paid by projects located within the North West Shelf, covering much of the Pilbara coast. However, a significant proportion of WA LNG production occurs in regions outside of the North West Shelf zone and is subject to significantly lower royalty obligations.
Two-thirds of WA gas production, including the output from Chevron's Wheatstone, Shell's Prelude and Woodside's Pluto LNG projects paid no tax or royalties at all last year.
"Oil and gas companies like Woodside and Chevron are being given this valuable and finite resource virtually for free, making huge profits from its sale, creating few jobs and returning almost nothing to everyday West Australians," principle adviser at The Australia Institute, Mark Ogge, said.
"Ordinary people paying their car registration fees are contributing more to the WA budget than royalties from oil and gas companies - there's no doubt West Australians are getting ripped off."
The Australia Institute suggests that as much as $1.6 billion in additional royalties could have been secured by the WA state government, had it applied the same royalty obligations across all LNG projects, as those that apply in the North West Shelf.
"If the paltry royalty arrangements that apply to the North West Shelf were applied to the rest of the WA LNG industry, an additional $1.6 billion would be raised each year. With more comprehensive reform, fairer royalty arrangements could gain far more revenue that would benefit all West Australians."
The analysis highlights the stark difference between the benefits claimed by those who advocate for an expanded gas industry - such as those within the Morrison government that claim gas projects pay for schools and hospitals - and the actual contributions such projects make to the benefit of the broader community.
In a statement published just before Christmas, the Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association (APPEA) - a lobby group for the gas industry - claimed the oil and gas industries "bankroll public services".
"The industry has helped deliver crucial public services like schools and hospitals," APPEA deputy CEO Damian Dwyer said.
"A recent independent report found national economic output would increase by over $350 billion and create over 220,000 jobs over the next two decades under the right policy settings."
But the Australia Institute's report, published on Monday, found that the LNG sector also employed just a small fraction of the Western Australian workforce, raising further questions around the level of government support directed to the sector.
"The LNG industry employs very few people in Western Australia, less than one per cent of the state's workforce," The Australia Institute's report says.
"The gas industry shed over 10 per cent of its workforce in Australia from May 2020 to February 2021, highlighting the volatility and poor job creation potential of the industry. In fact, oil and gas extraction is the least job intensive industry in Australia, with every other industry creating more jobs per million dollars of sales income.
"The LNG industry accounts for huge increases in WA's emissions, employs very few people, and returns negligible amounts in revenue, despite subsidies and sweetheart deals on land use. Policymakers engaging with the LNG industry should seek to craft policy that reduces WA's emissions and promotes industries that employ more West Australians," the report adds.
There are three forms of taxes imposed on Western Australian gas projects; wellhead royalties and resource rent royalties - each payable directly to the WA state government; and the petroleum resource rent tax, which is payable to the federal government.
WA state budget records show the WA government expects to receive a diminishing return from state royalty schemes, which have already fallen from a peak of almost $1.2 billion in the 2013/14 financial year, to just over $400 million in 2019/20.
"If the WA government paid half as much attention to LNG royalties as it does to its share of the GST, the people of WA would benefit for generations to come," Ogge added.
"The WA Government and Opposition are too close to the oil and gas industry. Unfortunately, both accept political donations from industry, and both have been involved in virtually giving the resource away."
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So, if we ue the amount of the "$1.6 billion", which really means 1600 million AUD, rather than 1.6billion (a true billion, is a million million), and, divide that by 2.7 million, as an estimate of the population of WA, and, divide the amount by 52 ( for weeks in a year), then the members of the Western Australian state parliament, are depriving each man, woman, and child, in Western Australia, of about 11AUD per week, and, giving the money to the companies that are lining the pockets of the members of the state parliament.
That is deliberate harm being done to the people of Western Australia, and, to the economy of Western Australia, by the members of the Western Australian state parliament, in return for the fossil fuel companies lining the pockets of the members of the state parliament, who deliberately remain aloof from, and, unconcerned with, the realities of life in Western Australia, outside the ivory tower of the state parliament and the excessive remuneration paid to the members of the state parliament.
Western Australia has had economic problems, for decades, in terms of fluctuations of revenue from taxes on extracted resources, due to the volatility of the applicable markets, and multipartisan mismanagement by the state parliament. And, Western Australia has an increasing degree of poverty in its people, and, a "contracting" economy; the state is increasingly broke, due to the mismanagement by the state and federal legislatures. A big state government "surplus" does not mean that the state economy and its people, are not broke. So, the Western Australian state parliament urgently needs to implement an equivalent of the Alaskan Permanent Fund, to stabilise the income from taxes on extracted resources, and, as with the Alaskan Permanent Fund, to pay to the residents of Western Australia, a Citizens' Dividend, like the Alaskan Permanent Fund Dividend, so that the people of Western Australia can get some benefit from the extraction of the resources, instead of getting deeper into poverty and despair while the members of the state parliament and their rich mates, get richer and live merrily in their ivory towers, with no interest in the plight of the plebs.
A simple indication of the degree of dissociation and aloofness, of the members of the Western Australian state legislature, from the members of the public, is the difference between the salary package of the lowest level of the members of the state legislature; the ordinary members; the "backbenchers", and, the median income of all residents of the state of Western Australia, who are of at least the age of the minimum working age in the state.
It is all, simply a question of fairness.
I can be contacted by email by clicking on my name at the end of this sentence - Bret .
This web page is authorised and printed by Bret Busby, 2 Pelham Street Armadale.
(Whilst the web page may be printed by someone else, I am advised that the wording in the above sentence, is required by the legislation governing an election.)
This web page was last updated on 17 January 2022