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2024 Victorian local elections
Local elections in Australia From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The 2024 Victorian local elections were held on 26 October 2024 to elect the councils of 78 of the 79 local government areas (LGAs) in Victoria.[24] The elections were conducted by the Victorian Electoral Commission (VEC), with voting taking place via post throughout October to elect 647 councillors across the state.[25][26]
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New councillors were elected in Casey and Whittlesea for the first time since 2016 after the councils were dismissed in February and March 2020 respectively.[27][28]
39 councils were affected by the Local Government Act 2020, which will see a large number of multi-member wards replaced with single-member wards.[29][30] This significantly increases the number of wards but will likely reduce the average number of candidates standing in these wards.[31]
No election was held for Moira Shire after the council was dismissed in March 2023 and a panel of administrators was appointed.[32] The next election for Moira is scheduled to be held in October 2028.[33][34]
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Background
In February 2022, Labor councillor Milad El-Halabi resigned from Moreland City Council after being charged with conspiracy to cheat and defraud for allegedly tampering with the council elections.[35] He was replaced via countback in March 2022 by Socialist Alliance's Monica Harte.[36]
On 31 March 2023, the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal found that El-Halabi was unduly elected. He has denied all allegations.[37]
Greens resignations
The Greens have had five of its councillors resign from the party since the 2020 elections, and a further four seats have been lost due to resignations and deaths, reducing its total number from 36 to 28 as of July 2024.
James Conlan (Merri-bek) left the party in solidarity with senator Lidia Thorpe, Amanda Stone (Yarra) resigned in February 2023, and Anab Mohamud (Yarra) resigned in February 2024.[38]
In April 2024, both Greens councillors in Monash − Anjalee de Silva and Josh Fergeus − left the party.[39]
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Electoral system
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Like in state and federal elections, Victorian local elections use full preferential voting, meaning voters must number every candidate.[40] With the exception of Melbourne City Council, which has a "Leadership Team" election (consisting of a lord mayor and deputy lord mayor), mayors are not directly-elected and are instead chosen by councillors.[41]
Business vote in Melbourne
Businesses are given two votes in Melbourne City Council elections, the only LGA in Victoria where this is the case.[42] Property investors and business owners do not have to be Australian citizens to vote.[42][43]
At the 2020 election, the Melbourne City Council electoral roll was composed of 55.1% business and out-of-the-area property owners, with local residents making up the remaining 44.9%.[42]
A similar electoral system in New South Wales previously applied for Sydney City Council, where businesses also had two votes.[44] This was introduced in 2014 but abolished in 2023 ahead of the 2024 election.[45][46]Remove ads
Political parties
The Greens endorse all candidates for local elections, while Labor Party members can either by formally endorsed or stand as "non-endorsed, supported candidates" (otherwise referred to as Independent Labor).[47][48][49]
The Liberal Party typically does not endorse candidates, however the party has an endorsed ticket for the Melbourne City Council leadership team (lord mayor and deputy lord mayor) for the first time in party history.[50] Local party branches also often make their own endorsements.[51][52]
The Animal Justice Party, Fusion Party, Libertarian Party, Socialist Alliance and the Victorian Socialists are all endorsing candidates.
Analysis from The Age found that 47% of candidates in Greater Melbourne were members of a political party, including both endorsed and non-endorsed candidates.[53]
Endorsed candidates
- Animal Justice Party − 10 candidates[54][55][56][57]
- Fusion Party − 1 candidate[58]
- Labor Party − 54 candidates[59]
- Liberal Party − 4 candidates
- Libertarian Party − 16 candidates[60]
- Socialist Alliance − 6 candidates[61][62]
- The Greens − 124 candidates[63][64][65]
- Victorian Socialists − 79 candidates[66]
Candidates
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A total of 2,231 people nominated to contest the elections − 45 more than the amount that contested the 2020 elections.[67] More than 60 candidates were Greek Australians.[68]
Mandatory candidate training
All candidates in Victorian local elections are required to complete mandatory training to "help [candidates] understand the role and responsibilities of being a councillor".[69] This requirement was introduced at the 2020 elections as a result of the Local Government Act 2020, and candidates who do not complete the training are ineligible to nominate.[70] No other state has these requirements for any elections.[71]
Following the close of nominations, the VEC announced that four candidates were "retired" after it was found they had not completed the required training.[72] These candidates were retired prior to ballot papers being printed, and will not appear on any ballots.[72]
However, a further 16 candidates were retired after 30 September 2024, which was after ballot papers had been printed.[73][74] This means that while they will remain on the ballot, they are not eligible to serve as a councillor and their votes will be distributed to other candidates according to voters' preferences.[72][75][76]
The retirements brought the total number of candidates down to 2,211.[77]
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Party changes before elections
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A number of councillors joined or left parties before the 2024 elections, including three councillors who joined the Victorians Party before it dissolved in September 2022.[78]
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Elections timeline
Voting takes place throughout October.[85][86]
- 17 September – Candidate nominations close at 12pm
- 7−10 October – VEC to post ballot pack to voters
- 15 October – Expected receipt of ballot pack by all voters
- 25 October – Completed ballot papers must be sent to VEC before 6pm
- 26 October – Elections day, although no voting takes place on this date and counting will begin
- 15 November – Elections results announced by this date
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Campaign and controversies
In Manningham, Westerfolds Ward candidate Isabella Eltaha received criticism after handing out campaign flyers at Saint Haralambos Greek Orthodox Church "despite being explicitly asked not to campaign during a Sunday service".[87] Eltaha told the Manningham Leader that she was "shocked" that anyone had an issue with her attendance and said she was "never told not to attend".[88]
Israel–Gaza war
The Gaza war was the subject of campaigning in the local elections.[89][90] As was the case at the New South Wales local elections in September, a group called "We Vote For Palestine" asked candidates to sign their pledge, which included supporting a ceasefire and divesting from Israel.[91][92]
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Results
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Results analysis
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Greens
The total statewide vote increased for the Greens, who won 28 councillors (a decrease of eight from 2020, but the same amount they held before the elections).[95]
In Yarra, which elected a majority Greens council in 2020, the party went from five councillors to two, although the council-wide vote percentage remained almost unchanged.[96] The party also lost all representation in Glen Eira, Port Phillip and Stonnington and lost one of its two seats in Melbourne.[96]
Greens candidates were elected in Bass Coast, Campaspe and Frankston for the first time.[97][98][99]
Victorian Socialists
In the almost 80 wards that the Victorian Socialists contested, the party had an average first preference vote of 10.8%.[100]
Owen Cosgriff was elected to Whipstick Ward in Greater Bendigo, becoming the party's first candidate elected outside of Greater Melbourne and its first elected to a single-member district at any level of government.[101] Cosgriff had 40.7% of first preferences and 52.7% of the two-candidate-preferred vote, defeating two independent candidates.
The party's vote increased in Darebin, where candidate Steph Price received 44.10% of the two-candidate-preferred vote in West Ward.[102] In South West Ward, candidate Cat Rose came close to winning the seat after finishing in third place, just 0.42% behind the Greens (who went on to defeat Labor after preference distribution).
By-elections and countbacks
The Victorian Electoral Commission has held a number of by-elections and countbacks to fill vacancies on councils since the 2024 elections.[103][104]
Countbacks
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See also
Notes
- Amanda Stone (Yarra), James Conlan (Merri-bek), Anab Mohamud (Yarra), Anjalee de Silva (Monash), Josh Fergeus (Monash) and Sam Spinks (Greater Shepparton) left the Greens between 2023 and 2024.[3][4] Gabrielle de Vietri (Yarra), Sarah Mansfield (Greater Geelong), and Katherine Copsey (Port Phillip) were elected to the Parliament of Victoria in 2022.[5][6] David Zyngier (Glen Eira) died in 2023.[7][8] However, Sue Pennicuik was elected via countback in Glen Eira in 2022, and Tim Drylie (Hepburn) joined the party sometime after the 2020 elections.[9][10][11]
- Milad El-Halabi (Moreland/Merri-bek) had his Labor membership suspended in 2022 and subsequently resigned from council.[12] Sarah Carter (Maribyrnong) died in 2024.[13] The party did not re-endorse any candidates in Maribyrnong, including incumbent Labor councillors Cuc Lam, Michael Clark and Anthony Tran (who joined the party in 2023).[14] However, Robbie Nyaguy was elected via countback in Port Phillip in 2023, Rose Iser (Moonee Valley) joined the party ahead of the 2024 elections, and the party endorsed candidates (including councillor Emily Dimitriadis) in Darebin after not doing so in 2020.[15][16][17]
- Including Paul Barker (Surf Coast) who was endorsed by the Libertarian Party but contested the election with the Back to Basics Team.[60][94]
- Although the Fusion Party was not formed until 2021, one of Fusion's member parties − Save The Planet − contested the 2020 elections.[18][19]
- Monica Harte was elected to Moreland City Council (now Merri-bek) via countback in 2022, and Sarah Hathway was elected to Greater Geelong City Council via countback in 2023.[20][21]
- Charlie Vincent resigned from Alpine Shire Council in 2021.[22][23]
- Excluding directly-elected mayors and deputy mayors.
- Compared to before the 2024 elections, not the result of the 2020 elections.
- Compared with Team Sally Capp at the 2020 election.[93]
- Not including Joel Grist (Surf Coast) who is a member of the Libertarian Party (and thus an Independent Libertarian) but contested the election with the Back to Basics Team.[60][94]
- Including Gladys Liu (Melbourne), who is also a Liberal Party member (and thus an Independent Liberal).
- Including Joel Grist, who was a member of the Libertarian Party (and thus an Independent Libertarian), but not including Paul Barker, who was endorsed by the Libertarian Party.[60][94]
References
External links
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