2026 Divisional Council elections

Members who hold the necessary membership status as set out in Article 63(c) of the Constitution nominate for election to the Divisional Council for their Division.

Associate Members*, Honorary Members, Members under suspension, and Members with outstanding fees, fines, or other amounts payable to CPA Australia that are more than three months overdue are not entitled to stand for election or to vote in the Divisional Council election.

(*Associate Members who qualify under Article 63(c)(ii) of the Constitution are eligible to nominate for Divisional Council)

Divisional Councillors are elected for a three-year term from 1 January 2027 to 31 December 2029 and may be re-elected for one further three-year term.

Divisional Councillors are volunteers and commit time and effort without remuneration for the benefit of CPA Australia and its members, to the accounting profession and the wider community.

Councillors are expected to attend regular Divisional Council meetings (monthly or bi-monthly) and participate in and lead regular member engagement activity between council meetings. This could include meeting with committees and discussion groups, attending events and networking activities, and representing CPA Australia in various external forums. 

Attendance at certain activities could count towards Councillors’ CPD obligations.

Privacy collection notice – Divisional Council elections (nominations)

CPA Australia collects the personal information you provide on this nomination form, and in any supporting documents, to administer nominations and conduct the Divisional Council election. This includes verifying eligibility, contacting you about your nomination, preparing and distributing election materials, managing voting (online and/or paper), responding to queries or disputes, and meeting governance, audit and record-keeping obligations.

What we collect

We collect information such as your name, membership number, division/region, contact details, eligibility information, declarations and signatures. If you provide them, we also collect your candidate statement/biography and photograph for inclusion in election materials.

Publication of candidate information

If your nomination is accepted, your candidate information (which may include your name, division/region, candidate statement and photograph) will be published to eligible voters as part of the election materials and may also be published on CPA Australia’s website and/or member channels. Please do not include sensitive information in your candidate statement. If you provide a photograph, you confirm you have the right to provide it for these purposes.

Who we disclose information to

Your personal information may be disclosed to:

• authorised CPA Australia staff and election officials (e.g., Returning Officer/Election Committee) to run the election;
• BigPulse (our external election services provider) to support nomination management and/or online voting; and
• printers, mailing houses and other service providers where required to issue paper voting materials and manage returns.

Overseas disclosure (BigPulse)

Where BigPulse is used, personal information may be processed and stored on BigPulse servers located outside Australia (including Canada and the UK). We take reasonable steps to ensure appropriate confidentiality, privacy and security arrangements are in place with our service providers.

Retention

We retain nomination and election records in accordance with our retention and disposal requirements and applicable governance/legal obligations.

BigPulse generally deletes end user personal data after elections become inactive.

By default, BigPulse will retain voters’ personal information for no longer than 30 days after the close of voting.

Consequences of not providing information

If you do not provide the information requested on this form, we may be unable to assess your eligibility or process your nomination.

Further information about how your personal information is handled is available in the CPA Australia Privacy Policy.

Elections are conducted in accordance with Part 6 (Election Procedure) of CPA Australia’s By-Laws.

Where the number of nominations exceeds the number of vacancies to be filled, a ballot will be held. Divisional Council elections are conducted on behalf of CPA Australia by the independent online polling firm BigPulse.

Members eligible to vote in their Divisional Council election will receive ballot information on or around Wednesday 16 September, and the ballot will open at 9.00am local time on that day.

The ballot will close at 5.00pm local time on Monday 12 October.

Members with email addresses recorded by CPA Australia will receive their invitations to vote electronically. Members without email addresses will receive their invitation to vote through the post.

Members will have electronic access to candidate details and can lodge their ballots electronically.

Instructions on how to lodge a valid vote will be provided with the voting information in accordance with Part 6 of the By-Laws, and the ballot will be conducted as ‘optional-preferential.

Regional Heads and the Regional Manager HK are deemed 'Returning Officers' for the election process and ballot conduct for Divisional Councils.

Notification of the 2026 Divisional Council nomination and ballot results will be announced in November across local editions of CPA Update, Divisional newsletters and on the CPA Australia website.