So you want to be a councillor?

Mandatory candidate training

By becoming a councillor, or even just running for election, you can make a positive difference to your local community. Queensland councils need councillors and mayors who reflect the diversity of our communities.

Before nominating for a local government election you must complete the mandatory candidate training, So You Want To Be a Councillor (SYWTBC). Mandatory candidate training is a provision under the Local Government Electoral Act 2011. You must complete the training if you wish to nominate.

We recommend you complete the training as soon as you decide to run in an election. This way you are informed about your legal obligations as a candidate, starting from the time you publicly announce your intention to run.

The training covers the laws about your obligations as a candidate and, if elected, your obligations as a councillor.

The candidate training should take approximately 90 minutes to complete and is free. It includes short quizzes that check your understanding of the content. After you pass the final quiz, the system will email you a certificate of completion. There is no obligation to nominate for election once you’ve completed the candidate training. Keep this certificate to use as proof you completed the training because you will need it if you do decide to nominate.

For a quadrennial election, the training must be completed within the six months before the nomination day for an election. Anyone running in a by-election or being appointed to a vacancy must complete the SYWTBC mandatory candidate training within six months of the nomination date.

Sitting councillors or mayors who intend to nominate for a by election are not required to repeat the mandatory candidate training, provided they completed it for the 2024 quadrennial election, and have remained in continuous office since then.

If you decide to nominate, you must declare your successful completion of the candidate training on the official nomination form. Use the reference number on the certificate on the nomination form as proof of your completion.

If you want help in obtaining your mandatory candidate training certificate, contact us.

Find out if you are eligible to become a councillor by visiting the Electoral Commission of Queensland (ECQ) website or by completing the candidate training course.

More information about candidate nominations and candidate nomination forms is on the ECQ website.

Open the So You Want To Be a Councillor training

If you have a problem logging in or with the candidate training modules you can contact us.

The candidate training is optimised for use on the browsers Google Chrome or Firefox. These can be downloaded for free.

What to do if you don’t have access to a computer or your internet connection drops out

• Visit your local library and complete the course using the public access computers.
• Download the course to your computer and complete off-line.
• Contact us to get the candidate training by mail. Australia Post timeframes for delivery to metro or country areas varies and is approximately 2-6 days. Once you have completed the course, contact us to finalise your candidate training and we will send you your completion certificate.

Face-to-face candidate training sessions

We may offer face‑to‑face candidate training sessions for intending candidates in selected locations. Contact the department directly for further information or queries.

Contact us

If you need help, contact us via:

• phone 07 3087 8400 (8.30am to 4.30pm, Monday to Friday)
• email lgelections@dlgwv.qld.gov.au.

Important information

It is your responsibility to ensure you are eligible for nomination and that you have completed the mandatory online candidate training.

Completion of mandatory candidate training will be confirmed against records held by DLGWV for each nomination accepted. If you nominate and are found to be ineligible (for example, if you have not completed the mandatory candidate training), the ECQ may refer the matter to the Queensland Police Service (under s169 of the Local Government Electoral Act 2011).

Providing false or misleading information is a serious integrity offence that carries a penalty of up to 7 years imprisonment.