The TSRA Board consists of 20 elected members who are Torres Strait Islander or Aboriginal people living within a ward in the region. The election is held every four years. The 20 wards are:

All Torres Strait Islander and Aboriginal people enrolled within a contested ward who are 18 years of age and over are eligible to vote.

The most recent general election for the TSRA Board was conducted on Saturday 28 November 2020.

More information about the operations of the TSRA can be found on the Torres Strait Regional Authority’s website.

Enrolment for the 2024 TSRA Board election has closed.

Polling day for the TSRA Board election will be Saturday 30 November 2024.

However, the AEC will be conducting pre-poll voting in Cairns and on Thursday Island, and mobile polling on the islands ahead of polling day.

For information about the 2024 TSRA Election, see the Election Guide.

If you are unable to vote at a polling booth on polling day or at a mobile polling booth, then you can apply to have your ballot paper sent to you in the mail.

Postal vote applications are available from the AEC Cairns Office, the TSRA office, and here:

• TSRA Postal Vote Application Flyer [PDF 2.7MB]

Once you have completed your postal vote according to the instructions on the form, post or deliver the Postal Voter Card envelope to the Returning Officer. See the Returning Officer’s contact details below.

If the post is unlikely to reach the Returning Officer by Friday 6 December 2024, your must instead take the envelope to a Pre-Poll Voting Office, a polling booth, or the Returning Officer before the close of the poll at 5:00pm (AEST) on 30 November 2024.

• Nominations for the 2024 TSRA Board election have closed.

The AEC is holding information sessions in all TSRA wards.

Come to find out about the TSRA Board election and how you can become a candidate in the election.

Nominations to be a candidate open Tuesday 1 October and close 5 pm (AEST) on Wednesday 30 October 2024.

For the list of candidates in the 2024 TSRA Board election, see the announcement here:

• Media release: Candidates announced for the 2024 TSRA Board Election

The AEC visited all wards to provide voter information for this election from 5 to 15 November 2024. For details of each information session, see the voter information schedule.

Voters will have an opportunity to vote in-person from 18 November until 30 November, as per the polling schedule.

An absent vote for the TSRA elections is a declaration vote recorded by a voter at a polling booth / mobile polling booth outside of the ward they are enrolled in.

A voter who is away from the ward for which they are enrolled may, upon making a declaration, vote via a mobile polling team or, on polling day at any other polling booth in the Torres Strait area.

Candidates may appoint scrutineers for polling and the scrutiny. The scrutineer undertaking form is used to appoint scrutineers. All scrutineers must complete this form.

• TSRA Collective Determination 2024/1 [PDF 3.9MB]

Ms Jacqueline McHenry, Returning Officer
Australian Electoral Commission
Postal address: PO Box 5024
Cairns QLD 4870
Telephone: (02) 9375 6366
Email: tsra@aec.gov.au

Torres Strait Regional Authority
Address: Level 1 Torres Strait Haus
46 Victoria Parade
Thursday Island
Telephone: 07 4069 0700
Toll-free: 1800 079 093
Fax: 07 4069 1879
Email: info@tsra.gov.au
Website: www.tsra.gov.au

• 2020 Torres Strait Regional Authority election
• 2016 Torres Strait Regional Authority election
• 2012 Torres Strait Regional Authority election
• 2008 Torres Strait Regional Authority election