Victorian council election results 2024 LIVE updates: Two-time mayor’s future on knife edge, Greens under threat in Darebin

Welcome to The Age’s “slow blog” for the 2024 Victorian council elections results.

Why slow? Well, for those paying attention, you’ll know the postal voting method used for this election means it takes a whopping three weeks for the final results to be determined across the state’s 79 councils. We’re going to see some interesting outcomes, especially with the introduction of single-member wards in all metropolitan councils (except the City of Melbourne) this year.

It’s a long haul – but in the meantime, there are plenty of updates The Age’s city team can bring you from inside the count rooms across the state.

If you have tips for us, get in touch.

There could be a huge shake-up on the way for the composition of Darebin council, with the Greens under threat of losing spots and many sitting councillors in trouble.

The Greens have held three seats on the nine-person council, however two of those councillors are stepping down at this election.

Labor looks to be making gains in those wards after the counting of group A votes (those that arrived before the postal deadline).

The Darebin City Council town hall in Preston.Credit: JasonSouth

In South ward (Northcote), where sitting Green Tom Hannan is leaving, Labor’s Melentie Pandilovski is very close to winning on first preferences with 48.06 per cent.

Julie O’Brien from the Greens has 37.95 per cent, while Edward Plowman from Victorian Socialists has 13.99 per cent.

Over in South West ward (west Thornbury), where another Green Trent McCarthy is standing down, it’s a very tight three-way contest between Kat Polglaze (Labor) on 36.08 per cent, Cat Rose (Victorian Socialists) on 32.31 per cent and Alexandra Sangster (Greens) last on 31.61 per cent.

That one will come down to preferences, but the Greens need to get up into second place to have a chance.

There’s also a tight contest in West ward, where incumbent Greens mayor Susanne Newton has a vote of 23.57 per cent, which is behind Labor’s Connie Boglis on 27.98 per cent.

That field has several other candidates (including ex-Green Alex Bhathal) with well over 10 per cent who have urged people to preference Labor. We recently reported on Bhathal’s history with Newton.

Darebin Greens councillor Susanne Newton is facing a major battle.

As for the other wards, sitting Labor councillor Emily Dimitriadis looks safe in South East ward (Fairfield) with 44.01 per cent.

It’s a close battle in North East ward (Bundoora) between sitting independent Tim Laurence and Labor’s Matt Aturi – both are on around 25 per cent.

In South Central ward (east Thornbury), it’s another one that will come down to preferences. Ruth Jelley from the Greens is ahead on 36.38 per cent, while Labor’s Liz Landray has 29.19 per cent and independent Carmel Davies is doing very well with 34.43 per cent.

No one is pulling clear ahead in North Central ward (east Reservoir), with sitting independent Julie Williams on 21.46 per cent, trailing Labor’s Vasilios Tslkos on 26.52 per cent.

Veteran Darebin councillor Gaetano Greco has been re-elected.Credit: Wayne Taylor

Central ward (Preston) could also be a gain for Labor with Kristine Olaris on 29.63 per cent, pulling well ahead of sitting independent Lina Messina on 14.97 per cent.

Zheng Chin from the Save The Preston Market action group has got 18.08 per cent of votes and is sitting second.

Meanwhile, out in North West ward (west Reservoir), long-time independent councillor Gaetano Greco has romped home with 59.20 per cent of first preferences.

Group B counting begins next week and then preferences will be distributed.

Two-time Hume mayor Joseph Haweil’s future at the northern suburbs council is on a knife edge, with preferences set to decide the winner in his ward of Woodlands.

With almost all Group A ballots processed, Haweil is trailing Steve Gagen with 2981 first-preference votes to 3211.

Hume councillor Joseph Haweil is in a tight race to retain his place on council. Credit: Luis Ascui

Adem Atmaca – who has also worn Hume’s mayoral robes twice – received 1842 votes and his preferences will determine if Haweil or Gagen represent the residents of Greenvale.

“I’ve not lost hope but it is looking very close,” Haweil told us on Saturday. “I think I’ve done well in the context of a malicious and co-ordinated campaign against me. I am hopeful but it is tight, there’s no doubt about that.”

Haweil has previously sought Labor preselection for the seat of Greenvale.

Elsewhere in Hume, three-time mayor Carly Moore has romped it home in Aitken Ward (covering Craigieburn) with almost 85 per cent of the vote.

Former mayor Naim Kurt appears set to return to council safely after banking 56 per cent of first-preference votes in Tullamarine Ward, ahead of incumbent councillor Jodi Jackson.

But Sunbury-based councillor Trevor Dance – who came under fire for not attending a single council meeting in person since being elected in 2020 – looks finished after getting 23 per cent of votes in the three-way contest with Jack Medcraft (40 per cent) and Kate Hamley (36 per cent).

In Merlynston Creek Ward (encompassing Broadmeadows, Dallas, Westmeadows, Jacana) incumbent deputy mayor Karen Sherry has received 34 per cent of first-preference votes. That’s a clear lead over second place Bassima Hawli (17 per cent) but preference flows from a large field of candidates will be decisive.

Good morning, and welcome to day four of our council election slow blog. There are still no official results from the Victorian Electoral Commission, but we’ll keep sharing updates from our secret squirrels in tally rooms across the state.

First, where’s the counting up to?

The Victorian Electoral Commission says it has received 3.5 million votes across the state so far, but the tallying will continue on Monday.

Officials prepare for the 2024 council elections.Credit: VEC

Votes counted as of late Friday show a voter turnout (or “return rate”, given it was a postal vote) of 79.53 per cent statewide. That will edge higher when counting continues on Monday.

In 2020, the statewide turnout was 81.47 per cent, and there have been concerns about a low participation rate this year because of the shift to postal votes.

But in the City of Melbourne, the return rate is already 66.86 per cent (91,270 votes) - just past the 2020 turnout of 66.80 per cent, a VEC spokesperson said.

The VEC finished counting “Group A” votes (those received by the close of voting at 6pm on October 25, of which there was just over 3 million) on Friday night. That leaves Group B votes, which are those posted before the deadline and received by midday yesterday.

Official provisional results will be published starting mid-next week. Winners in the City of Melbourne are expected to be announced on Thursday.

Two men who were members of the dysfunctional Whittlesea council that was sacked by the Andrews government in 2020 are in the box seat to return to local government there, winning the first-preference counts in their respective wards.

Lawrie Cox and Stevan Kozmevski, both of whom are Labor-aligned former mayors of northern suburban Whittlesea, were members of the council dismissed after a municipal monitor found serious governance failures and a toxic workplace culture.

The council churned through five CEOs within five years, including former Victoria Police chief commissioner Simon Overland.

City of Whittlesea has been governed by administrators for the past four years.

Cox won 30 per cent of postal votes in the Ganbu Gulinj ward, based in Wollert, ahead of nearest rival Santosh Kaur with 20 per cent, in a contest that will be decided on preferences.

Kozmevski drew 41.3 per cent of the vote in Lalor ward, leading Ellen McNaught with 32 per cent and Nicholas Hajichristou with 26.5 per cent.

Cox said it was too soon to declare a result but that he was looking forward to seeing a return to stable governance. He said he was pleased the new council would be overseen by a municipal monitor for at least its first 12 months.

Elsewhere in Whittlesea, Blair Colwell has a commanding lead in Mill Park ward with more than 40 per cent of postal votes, while Aidan McLindon won more than 50 per cent of votes in Kirrip ward. McLindon is a former Queensland Liberal MP who ran for the right-wing Freedom Party in former premier Daniel Andrews’ seat of Mulgrave in 2022.

Daniela Zinni leads in Bundoora ward, where Liberal-aligned candidate Richard Stockman has failed in his attempt to relocate from neighbouring Nillumbik Shire Council.

In the City of Kingston in Melbourne’s south-east, independent and former Liberal Jane Agirtan is ahead in Chicquita ward.

Agirtan hit the headlines earlier this year for threatening legal action against feminist commentator Clementine Ford after she allegedly called Agirtan a “racist transphobic” who needed to be “forcibly removed from society in a padded van and taken to a mental asylum”.

Jane Agirtan.Credit: janeagirtan.com

The legal action hasn’t harmed Argitan’s council campaign. She is ahead in the Chicquita ward with 22 per cent of the vote at 1051 votes.

In The Age’s survey of council candidates, Agirtan said “roads, crime and integrity” were the three issues she would advocate for.

She also said councils should stick to rubbish, rates and roads and not tackle broader issues like Australia Day and the conflict in Gaza.

“Matters such as foreign policy, defence or gazetted public holidays rest with federal government,” she said.

With 67.6 per cent of the votes counted, Argitan’s nearest rivals are Tracey Davies, on 882 votes, and Wandzia French, with 511 votes.

In Carurana ward, independent Caroline White is leading with 30 per cent of the vote or 1543 votes, ahead of Eric Lee on 1117 votes and Natan Raykhtin-Breitenfeld on 620.

White, who was previously affiliated with the Libertarian Party, told The Age she wanted to advocate for roads, integrity and “more privatisation of council services like aged care and leisure centres”.

In Yammerbook ward, Sarah O’Donnell is leading with 31 per cent of the vote at 1520 votes, followed by Greg McMahon on 1262 votes and David Eden with 1046.

O’Donnell also ran as an independent but was also affiliated with the Libertarian Party and said her focus would be on “rubbish, roads, and the environment”.

“Councils need to stay in their lane,” she said.

A nail-bitingly tight race is playing out in the ward of Moonee Valley’s incumbent mayor, Pierce Tyson, throwing his future on the council in doubt.

After the counting of the group A ballots, the Labor candidate has attracted 29.1 per cent of the vote while his key Steele Creek ward rival, former councillor Samantha Byrne, is leading the charge with 32.9 per cent.

Moonee Valley’s Pierce Tyson and Rose Iser.Credit: Simon Schluter

Third behind Tyson with 21 per cent of the vote is Tania Piccolo, a woman who calls herself a spiritual healer and “angel messenger”.

This one is set to come down to how the preferences fall, and perhaps a little divine intervention.

Elsewhere in the municipality, Jacob Bettio is losing the Queens Park ward to fellow councillor Ava Adams. Bettio drew 12.1 per cent of the vote, compared to Adams’ 46.2 per cent.

It’s unlikely that recent headlines helped Bettio’s re-election campaign.

In September, Bettio alleged that Tyson demanded a late-night urine test from him at his home after cocaine was found in the men’s bathroom at Moonee Valley City Council’s chambers. Bettio denied using cocaine.

Then, in October, an Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission report was released, finding former mayor Cam Nation, who quit the council in April, was given cocaine for favours and workshopped a bribery scheme to pay unnamed councillors in exchange for votes.

The same IBAC report also found that councillor Bettio and deputy mayor Narelle Sharpe used their positions to influence decisions in favour of a local soccer club, without declaring conflicts of interest.

In Buckley ward, Sharpe has 24 per cent of the vote, just trailing Liberal candidate John Barnes’ on 27.4 per cent.

In Myrnong ward, long-term councillor and Labor candidate Rose Iser is ahead with 47.14 per cent of the vote. Greens candidate Jodie Kinnersley got just 17 per cent.

The Greens were again trumped by Labor in a two-contender race for Fairbairn ward. Declan McGinness has won 35.9 per cent of the vote so far compared to 64.1 per cent for Phil Burn.

In Milleara ward, former councillor John Sipek leads with 49 per cent of the vote, while Jessica O’Neil – who joined the council after Nation’s resignation – has 39.2 per cent. The results may come down to the preferences of the only other candidate, Joe Cerritelli, who has 11.9 per cent of primary votes.

In Greater Geelong City Council, former mayor Trent Sullivan is on track to retain his seat, winning 1153 first-preference votes as counting continued in Leopold ward, according to reports sent in to The Age.

Shona McKeen was coming in second with 633 votes, followed by David Lynch on 212.

Former Geelong mayor Trent Sullivan.Credit: Eddie Jim

In Corio ward, Anthony Aitken, who is seeking another term, was leading the pack of six candidates and secured about half the vote so far, with 746 first-preference votes on Friday morning.

Another Geelong councillor seeking re-election, Melissa Caldwell, is also on track to be re-elected with 644 first-preference votes. Her nearest challenger, Tom Gant, had picked up 231 votes.

Municipal monitors were appointed to oversee Geelong earlier this year after a report highlighted financial problems, warring councillors and claims of harassment and bullying.

Frankston voters seem to have stuck with familiar names when voting at this month’s elections, with councillors from last term leading in a string of the municipality’s new single-member wards.

Veteran councillor David Asker is in a strong position in Wilton ward, with 42.76 per cent of votes counted, although the result could come down to preferences with the nearest rival Annaliese Collison attracting 33.83 per cent of postal votes.

Former Frankston mayor Nathan Conroy did not contest the council elections but his wife Steffie has, and is leading in Lyrebird ward.Credit: Penny Stephens

Incumbent councillor Sue Baker leads in Pines ward with 36.74 per cent of first preferences.

Former mayor and 2022 state Liberal candidate Michael O’Reilly is poised to return after losing his spot in 2020. He received 49.31 per cent of postal votes in Centenary Park ward.

Incumbent mayor and former federal Liberal candidate Nathan Conroy didn’t run in this election, but his wife, Steffie Conroy, did, and leads in Lyrebird ward, with 39.04 per cent of first preference votes counted. The outcome will be decided by preferences, with independent candidate Sam Keats trailing closely with 33.29 per cent of first preferences.

Conroy has recently given birth, and her rival Nathan Havis campaigned on the claim that if elected, she would be on maternity leave while in the role. Havis finished last in Lyrebird.

Incumbent councillor Kris Bolam has a winning lead in Ballam ward, with 43.66 per cent of votes, while his nearest rival, Adam Marsal, has 20.61 per cent.

Father-son combination Steven and Liam Hughes, both former councillors, appear to have been defeated, but this is what they hoped for, with the pair urging people to vote for another candidate during the campaign.

Not everybody listened. Steven Hughes still scored 17.95 per cent of votes so far for Ballam ward and son Liam polled 20.26 per cent of votes in Derinya ward, behind sitting councillor Brad Hill with 28 per cent.

Perhaps the most striking statistic from the Frankston count is the voter response, or lack thereof: in the low to mid-60s in most wards. Voters do not appear to have responded well to the move to postal voting.

The results are in for one of the hottest contests of this election. Stonnington’s incumbent mayor, Joe Gianfriddo, has been going head-to-head with long-time foe and fellow sitting councillor, Jami Klisaris, in the Malvern Valley Ward.

After tallying the group A votes, Labor’s Klisaris has snagged 61.4 per cent of the vote, compared to Gianfriddo’s 38.6 per cent.

As they are the only two contenders in the ward, it’s going to be hard for Gianfriddo to come back from this.

Incumbant mayor Joe Gianfriddo in April this year.Credit: Joe Armao

Gianfriddo is the husband of ratepayer activist Dean Hurlston, who runs the Council Watch website and Facebook page, which offered staunch support for the mayor.

A pamphlet battle had been playing out in the ward, with “shit sheets” posted about Gianfriddo that were authorised by Hurlston’s rival, Brendan Corr, manager of the Stonnington Community Noticeboard Facebook page.

Report cards about Klisaris had also landed in letterboxes, grading her with an “F”, authorised by a mysterious “K Norling”.

In South Yarra Ward, former councillor Kate Hely is on track for a win with 48.4 per cent of the vote so far. Julie McLean is on 29.4 per cent and Greens candidate Mitch Fuller on 22.2 per cent.

And in Orrong Ward, things are looking good for Samantha Choudhury with 48.3 per cent of the primary vote. Henry Buch has 30.79 per cent and Greens candidate Arkie Paten has 20.92 per cent.

Elsewhere in Stonnington, the results are less clear-cut and will likely come down to the group B count and how preferences fall. Stay tuned.

It’s not looking good for the Greens at Monash City Council.

Two candidates who sensationally quit the Greens earlier this year – Josh Fergeus and Anjalee de Silva – are set to maintain their positions council, this time as independents.

Josh Fergeus left the Greens in April 2024.Credit: Joe Armao

In a further affront to the left-leaning political party, Fergeus is also comfortably beating the new Greens candidate running in his ward.

After counting the group A votes, Fergeus has taken the lead with 49.6 per cent of the primary vote in the University Ward. Greens candidate Martin Barry had just 9.9 per cent.

In the Gardiners Creek Ward, de Silva has 45.1 per cent of the vote.

Elsewhere in Monash, the incumbent mayor, Nicky Luo, is in line to take the Scotchmans Creek Ward with 50.7 per cent of votes.

And the last-serving deputy mayor, Brian Little, has 42 per cent of the vote in Mayfield Ward, while the Libertarian Party’s Ethelyn King has 23 per cent and the Greens’ Stefanie Bauer has 13 per cent. Little’s position will depend on how preferences fall.