Council hopefuls wait on votes after last-minute surge leads to hour-long wait

It’s going to be a long couple of weeks for the region’s aspiring councillors who now have to sit tight while votes are counted.

Geelong’s new council group won’t be known for a fortnight. Picture: Mike Dugdale.

Campaigning is over and the waiting game has begun for the region’s council candidates after voting closed late Friday in dramatic fashion.

Last-minute voters lined up for more than an hour at the Victorian Electoral Commission’s (VEC) office on Moorabool St in a bid to beat the 6pm deadline – and a $99 fine – with the queue stretching around the corner into Foster St.

Two-thirds of ballots in the City of Greater Geelong had been received by close of business Friday, surpassing the 63 per cent in Golden Plains Shire and 61 per cent in the Surf Coast Shire.

Lines at the Moorabool St VEC office on Friday evening.

The counting of votes has now commenced but because postal votes have until midday Friday to land with the VEC, successful candidates won’t be announced until next Wednesday at the earliest.

It is expected the new Geelong council will be announced the following week on November 11 and, statewide, all results will be finalised and declared no later than November 15.

“While counting activities will commence from election weekend, the VEC will not provide progressive results because these can be misleading,” the VEC website states.

“Especially for multi-councillor elections where the proportional representation counting system can produce results quite different to first preference information.”

Candidates who spent months on the hustings celebrated the weekend in a variety of ways.

Long-term councillors Eddy Kontelj and Anthony Aitken took to the dancefloor at the Austrian Club’s Plantation Rd headquarters as part of its Oktoberfest celebrations.

The duo, who are standing in Hamlyn Heights and Corio respectively, both made news for the wrong reasons during what was, at times, a tumultuous campaign.

Mr Kontelj was linked to Bell Park butcher Tony Siketa, who is expected to be charged with wilful damage offences after he was caught on camera allegedly defacing the corflute of Angela Carr, a Socialist Alliance candidate in Hamlyn Heights.

Two days later, Mr Kontelj posted a photo on social media posing alongside Mr Siketa to promote a “meet and greet” at Siketa Meats.

Mr Aitken was disciplined following multiple complaints from City Hall staff about his behaviour, but he said due process had not been followed and labelled the action a “non-event”.

Eddy Kontelj and Anthony Aitken get into the swing of things at the Austrian Club's Oktoberfest event on the weekend. Picture: Anthony Aitken/Facebook.

Mr Aitken’s key rival in Corio, Sarah Hathway, addressed Saturday’s Stop Arming Israel event on the Geelong waterfront.

“Plenty of money, time and political will from all levels of government to support and promote the weapons manufacturing sector,” she wrote on Facebook.

“But little money, time or political will to address the cost of living, housing and climate crises or the epidemic of violence against women and children or to talk about treaty, land rights, reparations, closing the gap.”

Ms Hathway was one of 21 candidates in the Geelong region who pledged their support to a campaign that “demonstrates that Palestine is an important voter issue”.

Successful candidates will be appointed to a four-year term, with the mayors to be elected at each council’s first meeting following the official declaration of results.

Originally published as Council hopefuls wait on votes after last-minute surge leads to hour-long wait