2026 Divisional Council elections

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.

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 Wednesday 16 September, and the ballot will open at 9.00am local time on that day.

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

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.

BigPulse as the independent polling firm secured portal will circulate an email to vote at the ballot because you are recorded as an eligible voter for the 2026 Divisional Council election.

CPA Australia uses your personal information (such as your name, membership number, and contact details) to administer the election, including issuing voting materials, verifying eligibility, managing voting (online and/or paper), responding to queries or disputes, and meeting governance and record keeping obligations.

Online voting is provided by BigPulse as our external election services provider. BigPulse processes personal information on our behalf for the purpose of providing voting and election services, and client voter lists may be uploaded to BigPulse for election administration. Personal information may be processed and stored on servers located outside Australia (including Canada and the UK).

If you vote online, you may receive service emails such as a voting receipt or voting-related notifications generated via the voting platform. If you vote by paper, your details may be shared with printing/mailing providers to distribute voting materials and manage returns (under confidentiality and security requirements).

Retention: Election records are retained in line with CPA Australia’s retention and disposal requirements and applicable governance/legal obligations. By default, BigPulse will retain voters’ personal information for no longer than 30 days after the close of voting.

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

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

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