A Tasmanian councillor who triggered a by-election after missing three consecutive meetings due to caring for her dying husband has been re-elected unopposed.
King Island Councillor Sarina Laidler lost her seat earlier this month, with Tasmania’s Local Government Act requiring Electoral Commissioner Andrew Hawkey to call a by-election.
On Wednesday, Hawkey announced that only one nomination had been received for the seat, meaning Laidler would return to the council.
“Sarina Laidler has been elected unopposed to serve as councillor until the next ordinary election in 2026,” he said.
Earlier this month, Laidler shared with ABC that she had been caring for her husband, Kevin, for years as he battled a brain tumour.
The Local Government Act says that councillors who do not apply for a leave of absence, which Laidler did not do, will lose their seat if they miss three consecutive council meetings.
“To me, a leave of absence is something that you [lodge] in advance to say that you will be away,” she told the ABC.
“[These] were emergency situations, they weren’t situations where you had time to sit down and fill out a form and send it through to council.”
Mr Laidler passed away in December.
“Particularly during end of life, you want to be there with them, you want to be there to comfort them,” she said.
“I loved him dearly, so it was … a very stressful time.”
She is now calling for changes to the Act around ‘unplanned meeting absences’ so other councillors across the state can avoid being placed in a similar situation.
