Victorian council elections
As Victorians prepare to vote in council elections in October, find out who the candidates are and what they stand for in your local area.
Victorian council election results 2024 LIVE updates: Two-time mayor’s future on knife edge, Greens under threat in Darebin
All the updates on the results in Victoria’s local government elections.
- by Cara Waters, Rachael Dexter, Tom Cowie, Adam Carey, Sophie Aubrey and Benjamin Preiss
We surveyed your local election candidates. See what they really think
Use our interactive to find out which key issues candidates across 31 councils in Greater Melbourne say they will back if elected.
- by Cara Waters, Rachael Dexter and Nathanael Scott
Analysis
Koutoufides and Reece lord mayor battle could drag on for days
Preferences will play a key role in who takes the keys to town hall in the neck-and-neck battle between Nick Reece and Anthony Koutoufides.
- by Cara Waters
Updated
Koutoufides trails Reece in mayoral race – but maybe not for long
Vote counting indicates incumbent Nick Reece leads the mayoral race in the City of Melbourne, but a strong showing for the Liberals means Anthony Koutoufides is also in with a chance.
- by Cara Waters
‘Absolute debacle’: Council election chaos for last-minute voters
Voting booths were inundated as hundreds queued to cast council election votes in person before the 6pm cut-off.
- by Rachael Dexter
Analysis
No democracy sausage, no sizzle in council elections
Many Victorians are about to be fined $99 for not voting in local council elections, and while it’s easy to blame apathy, the postal process might be the problem.
- by Cara Waters
Who’s behind ‘Greens Info’, the attack ad linked to a state-owned house?
Mystery surrounds a cashed-up anti-Greens attack outfit called “Greens Info” which lists its address in a most unexpected place.
- by Rachael Dexter and Tom Cowie
Cheaper power promised under renewable energy bulk-buy schemes
Residents and small business owners would get cheaper power bills under a proposed renewable energy bulk-buying scheme covering at least four inner Melbourne councils.
- by Tom Cowie
The Greenline ‘albatross’, protests and e-scooters: Lord mayoral candidates debate
Ballots close in just a few days, but fewer than 40 per cent of City of Melbourne residents have voted as lord mayoral candidates battled it out in a last-minute pitch in a live debate on Tuesday.
- by Cara Waters and Rachael Dexter
As it happened: Melbourne lord mayoral debate
Melbourne lord mayoral candidates Nick Reece, Arron Wood, Roxane Ingleton and Anthony Koutoufides debate their policies ahead of the election.
- by Cara Waters and Rachael Dexter
Whodunnit solved: Election sign-thrower unmasked as Kingston councillor
It turns out the identity of the sign-thrower wasn’t such a mystery to the good burghers of Melbourne’s south-east.
- by Tom Cowie and Rachael Dexter
Melbourne Fashion Week becomes unlikely battleground for lord mayoral candidates
A candidate is hatching a plan to add another top-flight fashion festival to Melbourne – by stealing it from Sydney.
- by Cara Waters
The hidden barrier: Why Roxane Ingleton’s mayoral dream hangs by a thread
The Greens candidate would likely be elected Melbourne’s lord mayor next week if the city operated on a standard electoral system of one vote for every voter.
- by Cara Waters
‘Yes, I’m young’: The gutsy teenage candidates in Victoria’s council elections
They might not have the life experience of most other candidates, but these plucky teens reckon they’ve got plenty to offer as city councillors.
- by Sophie Aubrey
Editorial
Who’s best for Melbourne? The Age cannot endorse mayoral candidates
It’s not only donation reform that is required, but better transparency around who candidates are, what they really stand for, and their political affiliations.
- The Age's View
Exclusive
Businesses get double voting power in City of Melbourne elections. Now they want more
Melbourne is the only capital city in Australia where businesses get two votes in the council election, while residents only get one.
- by Rachael Dexter
Going postal: Council ballot papers stolen in Australia Post van theft
There’s bad news for City of Monash voters who may have to cast their ballots again after an opportunistic thief made off with an Australia Post van.
- by Rachael Dexter and Tom Cowie
Promises, promises. But can Melbourne’s lord mayoral candidates actually deliver?
There are plans to expand the free tram zone, turn office buildings into apartments, provide free coffees and slash myki fares, but only some are feasible.
- by Cara Waters
‘Slum lord’ tag sticks like mould on Birkenstocks to Greens mayoral candidate
A Greens lord mayoral candidate campaigning as a renter has been outed as a former landlord with tenants who complained about an apartment filled with mould.
- by Rachael Dexter and Tom Cowie
The ‘witches’ brew’ of preference deals and how they’ll swing City of Melbourne elections
Backroom wheeling and dealing and the complex science of preference flows could result in an unexpected lord mayor.
- by Cara Waters
The plane truth: Melbourne’s most polarising tree stirs spring controversy again
The City of Melbourne has a plan to reduce the dominance of plane trees, but some lord mayoral candidates say it is not going far nor fast enough.
- by Sophie Aubrey
Exclusive
‘Something is deeply wrong’: Elizabeth Street under election spotlight
More CCTV cameras and security officers are among the pledges made by City of Melbourne lord mayoral candidate Arron Wood and his opponent, incumbent Nick Reece.
- by Cara Waters
Sausage breakfast? Lord mayor debate an all-bloke affair
There were three notable absentees at the Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry event this week when six male lord mayor hopefuls took to the stage.
- by Tom Cowie and Rachael Dexter
Updated
‘7 grams of the best’: Former Moonee Valley mayor’s cocaine messages revealed in IBAC probe
A former mayor of an inner-north Melbourne council traded cocaine for favours and workshopped a bribery scheme to pay unnamed councillors up to $60,000 to buy their votes, a wide-ranging anti-corruption investigation has found.
- by Rachael Dexter
Exclusive
Vow to revive Melbourne Money to trim cost of dinner, drinks and a show
Lord mayoral candidate Arron Wood is pledging to bring back the program – expanded to include live music venues – if elected, offering a 20 per cent rebate on the cost of food and drinks in the City of Melbourne.
- by Cara Waters
Caught on camera: Signs torn down and turfed in council poster wars
Who is the poster pirate caught ripping down election signs in Chelsea? Welcome to Ward Games, The Age’s coverage of the wacky world of Victoria’s local council elections.
- by Tom Cowie and Rachael Dexter
‘It’s like an outbreak’: How ‘quasi-parties’ will influence your council’s election
We surveyed local election candidates across 31 Greater Melbourne councils. Some didn’t tell us they were members of interest groups. See what your candidates said.
- by Rachael Dexter and Nathanael Scott
Traffic jams and potholes: See how local election candidates plan to fix roads in your area
Use our interactive to find out what local election candidates in Greater Melbourne will do to fix roads in their areas if elected.
- by Angus Delaney and Nathanael Scott
‘Too big for their boots’: See what your local election candidates say about Gaza, antisemitism and Australia Day
Use our interactive to read what candidates in Greater Melbourne said when asked if councils should make statements on social issues along with managing roads, rates and rubbish.
- by Tom Cowie and Nathanael Scott
Spring Street wants to build thousands of homes. It could face a battle with local election candidates
We surveyed local council election hopefuls across Melbourne about their views on housing, heritage and green space. Use our interactive to see what they said.
- by Cara Waters, Sophie Aubrey and Nathanael Scott
Many of your local election candidates appear to be independent. Our survey reveals otherwise
Use our interactive to see how many candidates in your council area are political party members.
- by Rachael Dexter and Nathanael Scott
Exclusive
Push to revitalise Melbourne’s neglected high streets
Lord mayoral candidate Arron Wood says he has big plans to beautify some of Melbourne’s run-down high streets – but it won’t come cheap.
- by Cara Waters
How to vote in the 2024 Victorian council elections
Victorians are voting in council elections for candidates who will represent them for the next four years. Here’s everything you need to know.
- by Rachael Dexter and Cara Waters
Melbourne lord mayor backflips on plans for affordable housing
The economic environment is so bad that the City of Melbourne should abandon plans for affordable housing targets, Lord Mayor Nick Reece told a lord mayoral debate on housing.
- by Cara Waters
Melbourne council accused of Orwellian interference in art event
Banyule council arranged the removal of two artists from promotional material for an exhibition because they are running as candidates in October’s local government elections.
- by Rachael Dexter
How a rule tweak left hundreds of thousands of ratepayers unable to vote
Under a controversial council election change, non-resident ratepayers had to opt in by early August to be able to vote. Many missed the cut, or didn’t know about it.
- by Sophie Aubrey
Cash grab or fair deal? Paid parking is coming to these popular day-trip areas
Tourists are facing parking fees in busy spots that have been traditionally free, as councils seek to raise revenue from day trippers.
- by Benjamin Preiss
Rundown corners of the city to become parks under lord mayor’s re-election plan
The historic riverside vaults and the area under the West Gate Bridge will be among the neglected parts of the city to become home to new parks if Nick Reece is re-elected.
- by Sophie Aubrey
An entire Victorian council just got elected without a single vote cast
Nearly 50 candidates will waltz into council chambers across the state, elected unopposed. Even some of the lucky winners fear the impact on democracy.
- by Rachael Dexter and Tom Cowie
Cocaine find sparks drug test and late-night confrontation in council scandal
The drug find in the men’s bathroom at Moonee Valley council chambers has blown into the public arena, with claims the mayor demanded a drug test from a councillor late one night.
- by Rachael Dexter
A kingmaker, a cheesemaker and plenty of newsmakers: Who’s running for council elections
Familiar faces have resurfaced as candidates for local government after nominations closed for the October council polls.
- by Cara Waters
Exclusive
Mayoral hopeful pitches to make Melbourne flush with public toilets
Jamal Hakim also wants to rebrand maternal healthcare centres in a change for fathers with babies’ nappies.
- by Cara Waters
Opinion
The idea that selling off the Regent will help the arts is laughable
The lord mayor has outlined a plan to take from the arts to give to the arts. Melbourne deserves better.
- by Elizabeth Flux
Exclusive
Why Melbourne’s lord mayor wants to sell the Regent Theatre
The century-old Collins Street institution is estimated to be worth between $40 million and $50 million, and the council owns a 51 per cent stake.
- by Cara Waters
Opinion
Voting, donations reform will make for better council elections
With October’s Melbourne City Council elections approaching, another troubling disconnect between the city and the wider metropolis has resurfaced: that between how voting works in the council and everywhere else in Victoria.
- by The Age's View
Analysis
‘The worst in the country’: Business and the wealthy favoured in race for Town Hall
A voting system riddled with anomalies and rule quirks could see former Carlton star Anthony Koutoufides lose out as lord mayor but his team still dominate council chambers.
- by Cara Waters
Rip up the bike lanes: Liberals launch Melbourne mayoral bid
The party’s candidate, Mariam Riza, says the city needs to be easier for people to access. She instead wants more lanes for traffic and new parking spaces.
- by Cara Waters
Lord mayor candidate says he will axe ‘flawed’ green walking trail
Arron Wood has vowed to scrap former lord mayor Sally Capp’s passion project, a green walking track through the city, and fund new parks and gardens instead.
- by Henrietta Cook
From bike lanes to business help, what the lord mayor candidates promise for Melbourne
The race for the next lord mayor of Melbourne is under way. The Age has interviewed the candidates and outlined their key policies and vision.
- by Cara Waters
Exclusive
‘Irresistible for developers’: The lord mayor’s plan to turn offices into apartments
Ageing office buildings in Melbourne’s CBD could be converted into thousands of new apartments under a new proposal by Lord Mayor Nick Reece.
- by Cara Waters
Original URL: https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/victorian-council-elections-20240827-p5k5u4.html