Sarah Hathway elected to Geelong council after countback

Improving local amenities for her ward and championing social justice issues will be the focus for Geelong’s newest councillor following her election by countback.

Sarah Hathway has been elected the newest Geelong councillor following a countback, representing the northern ward of Windermere. Picture: Mark Wilson

Mental health worker Sarah Hathway has been elected as the newest Geelong councillor following a countback.

Ms Hathway will represent the city’s northern suburbs in her new role, a responsibility she said she would take very seriously.

The countback was called following Kylie Grzybek’s resignation from her position representing the Windermere ward in May 2023.

Ms Hathway was one of three candidates in the countback held on Wednesday morning, and said it was very exciting to be the newest councillor.

She said she wanted to see better community engagement and better transparency from council moving forward.

The extraordinary vacancy for a councillor was created when Kylie Grzybek resigned last month. Picture: Mark Wilson

“I think there needs to be better community engagement, and I’m planning on having monthly meetings in the Windermere ward to do this,” she said.

“There also needs to be better transparency from council.

“(Tuesday) night at the council meeting there were a number of questions around community member questions not being mentioned in the minutes, or disappearing from the website, so that needs to be addressed.

“We’ve got a big campaign ahead of us with addressing this budget... so we need to be transparent.”

Today the @electionsvic conducted a countback & Sarah Hathway has been elected to @GreaterGeelong. I have spoken with Sarah & wished her well. Being an elected representative is a privilege. I look forward to working with Sarah to represent the best community in Geelong. #Council pic.twitter.com/sVZlFK5SHd

— Deputy Mayor Anthony Aitken (@CrAnthonyAitken) June 28, 2023

Ms Hathway will represent Anakie, Avalon, Balliang, Batesford, Bell Park, Bell Post Hill, Corio, Fyansford, Hamlyn Heights, Lara, Little River, Lovely Banks, Moorabool, Norlane, North Geelong, North Shore, Point Wilson and Staughton Vale alongside deputy mayor Anthony Aitken.

Geelong mayor Trent Sullivan congratulated Ms Hathway on her new role and thanked Ms Grzybek for her service to the community since 2017.

“I’m looking forward to working with (Ms Hathway) to represent the local community,” he said.

“We thank (Ms Grzybek) for the valuable contribution she made across the region and the great legacy she has left our community.”

New Windermere Ward Councillor Sarah Hathway with City of Greater Geelong Mayor Trent Sullivan outside our civic precinct building Wurriki Nyal. Picture: Supplied

Ms Hathway said on her priority list was the “long list of things” that had been dropped or defunded from the council budget.

“One thing I heard from the (community) was about the Vital Communities project,” she said.

“This was something council put in place to address inequality, and there’s a lot of disappointment out in the community that it’s (had cuts).”

Ms Hathway said the redundancy of council’s social equity policy officer position was upsetting for the community, and was something she wanted to be reinstated.

She said she had also heard reports that Bell Park Sports Club wouldn’t receive necessary upgrades for several years, and that Lara pool would be closed six months of the year.

She said she wanted to see movement in these spaces to address community concerns.

“I’ll be directed by the community but there’s lots of things I’m hoping to address,” she said.

Ms Hathway said her current focus was reminiscent of her 2020 campaign for council.

She said this included more funding for amenities in the northern suburbs, as well as highlighting social justice issues.

“We’ve got the ‘yes’ referendum (for a Voice to parliament) coming up,” she said.

“I look forward to talking to the (Indigenous) community about that and what they’d like to see.

“There’s a big scope on council to take up both immediate local amenity issues, but also those broader political issues.”

Ms Hathway is a member of the Socialist Alliance political party.

Originally published as Sarah Hathway elected to Geelong council after countback