Election-day sausage sizzles are the foundation of any good Australian election.
They also play an integral role in providing funding for the ACT's public schools.
The 2024 ACT election polling places were published last week and showed a significantly slimmer portfolio, down 27 voting locations, compared to 2020. Check the map lower in the article to see which sites have lost and gained polling places, and which are continuing to host voting.
The decision to remove some schools from the list of polling places this close to the election has caught ACT public schools off guard and left them stranded without much-needed projected funding.
Giralang Primary School was one of the schools excluded.
"We were absolutely blindsided. There was just no consultation," P&C president Kristine Evans said.
The surprising loss of funding will have huge implications for the educational and co-curricular benefits Canberra kids can access, Mrs Evans said.
"We are here to make a difference for our students, for the kids in the public school system. We will need to re-evaluate our goals now and some will be on hold or won't happen because of this," she said.
Mrs Evans said Giralang P&C had been planning the fundraising fete and BBQ since the beginning of the year.
"One of our parents already has 1000 tomato seeds ready to go and that is all a contribution. She's not paid to do that. She is a volunteer," Mrs Evans said.
Voting day was projected to raise upwards of $10,000 for the school, money integral to the development of reading programs, IT equipment, the playground and community kitchen.
"We will have to review what the P&C can contribute to the school because of this," Mrs Evans said.
"Ultimately our objective is to have the Giralang polling place reinstated."
Latham Primary School was also cut from 2024 polling venues.
Latham P&C president Katherine Thorogood said the school was not notified by Elections ACT prior to the list being published.
"We had already put out a notice in our newsletter on Monday that this was an upcoming event. Four or five people had already signed up," Ms Thorogood said.
This exclusion is not merely an administrative headache for Latham Primary; it will cause a huge loss for the school's revenue.
"The funding from the sausage sizzle and bake sale are such an integral part of our fundraising schedule," Ms Thorogood said.
"This is upwards of $6000 we will not have access to. As a small school this is a huge amount to lose."
In previous years Latham Primary had used fundraising money to finance reading and maths programs and a twice-a-week breakfast club for children.
Latham Primary has been a polling booth location for both federal and local elections for more than 20 years, including as recently as the 2023 referendum.
Ms Thorogood said the surprise decision to remove them from the 2024 list cast doubt over their ongoing funding prospects.
"It makes us a little nervous moving towards the federal election next year. We are going to have to be incredibly frugal. How it has been handled has been disappointing as a citizen and as a parent," she said.
St Francis Xavier College in Florey and St Thomas Aquinas School in Charnwood, two Catholic primary schools, were the nearest voting locations for previous Latham Primary voters.
A spokesperson for the Elections ACT said 2024 polling places were based on analysis of voting data from the 2020 elections.
"While we acknowledge that this decision may impact local community fundraising activities, this is not a determinant in our provision of trusted, transparent, secure and accessible electoral services for the entire ACT community," they said.
"There has been a decline in demand for single-day polling places on the final day of voting as more voters opt for early voting.
"It is neither feasible nor appropriate for Elections ACT to engage with local community organisations or facility managers of historic polling locations during our planning for future elections. Consultation was conducted with the ACT Education Directorate and our accessibility advisory committee in this process."
An ACT Education Directorate spokesperson said polling booths selections were a matter for the ACT Electoral Commission.
"The ACT Education Directorate does not make site selection decisions for use of ACT public schools as polling booths," a spokesperson said.
"Arrangements were confirmed with schools identified in the hiring agreement in May 2024."
There are 11 early voting centres compared with 15 from the previous election. Early voting opens October 8.
