2024 Victorian local elections
The 2024 Victorian local elections were held on 26 October 2024 to elect the councils of 78 of the 79 local government areas in Victoria. The elections were conducted by the Victorian Electoral Commission, with voting taking place via post throughout October to elect 647 councillors across the state.
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.
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. This significantly increases the number of wards but will likely reduce the average number of candidates standing in these wards.
No election was held for Moira Shire after the council was dismissed in March 2023 and a panel of administrators was appointed. The next election for Moira is scheduled to be held in October 2028.
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. He was replaced via countback in March 2022 by Socialist Alliance's Monica Harte.On 31 March 2023, the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal found that El-Halabi was unduly elected. He has denied all allegations.
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 left the party in solidarity with senator Lidia Thorpe, Amanda Stone resigned in February 2023, and Anab Mohamud resigned in February 2024.
In April 2024, both Greens councillors in Monash − Anjalee de Silva and Josh Fergeus − left the party.
Electoral system
Like in state and federal elections, Victorian local elections use full preferential voting, meaning voters must number every candidate. With the exception of Melbourne City Council, which has a "Leadership Team" election, mayors are not directly-elected and are instead chosen by councillors.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".The Liberal Party typically does not endorse candidates, however the party has an endorsed ticket for the Melbourne City Council leadership team for the first time in party history. Local party branches also often make their own endorsements.
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.
Endorsed candidates
- Animal Justice Party − 10 candidates
- Fusion Party − 1 candidate
- Labor Party − 54 candidates
- Liberal Party − 4 candidates
- Libertarian Party − 16 candidates
- Socialist Alliance − 6 candidates
- The Greens − 124 candidates
- Victorian Socialists − 79 candidates
Candidates
A total of 2,231 people nominated to contest the elections − 45 more than the amount that contested the 2020 elections. More than 60 candidates were Greek Australians.Mandatory candidate training
All candidates in Victorian local elections are required to complete mandatory training to "help understand the role and responsibilities of being a councillor". 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. No other state has these requirements for any elections.Following the close of nominations, the VEC announced that four candidates were "retired" after it was found they had not completed the required training. These candidates were retired prior to ballot papers being printed, and did not appear on any ballots.
However, a further 16 candidates were retired after 30 September 2024, which was after ballot papers had been printed. This means that while they remained on the ballot, they were not eligible to serve as a councillor and their votes were distributed to other candidates according to voters' preferences.
The retirements brought the total number of candidates down to 2,211.
Party changes before elections
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.Elections timeline
Voting takes place throughout October.- 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
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". 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".Israel–Gaza war
The Gaza war was the subject of campaigning in the local elections. 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.Results analysis
Greens
The total statewide vote increased for the Greens, who won 28 councillors.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. The party also lost all representation in Glen Eira, Port Phillip and Stonnington and lost one of its two seats in Melbourne.
Greens candidates were elected in Bass Coast, Campaspe and Frankston for the first time.
Victorian Socialists
In the almost 80 wards that the Victorian Socialists contested, the party had an average first preference vote of 10.8%.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. 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. In South West Ward, candidate Cat Rose came close to winning the seat after finishing in third place, just 0.42% behind the Greens.