Maribyrnong councillor failed to show for Europe flight before being found dead

Three-time Maribyrnong mayor Sarah Carter failed to show up for a flight to Europe with her partner before he found her dead at home on Tuesday, according to a friend.

Tributes from across the political divide continued to flow in for the 45-year-old rising Labor Party star, who was remembered for her influential charity work at Save the Children and as a tireless champion of Melbourne’s western suburbs.

Sarah Carter was known as a passionate voice for the western suburbs.Credit: Penny Stephens

Victoria Police confirmed it was preparing a report for the coroner after finding a woman’s body in an apartment on Village Way, Maribyrnong, at 3.45pm on Tuesday. Police are not treating the death as suspicious.

The cause of her death is not yet known.

Carter recently returned from Vanuatu.

A message posted on Facebook by a friend of Carter on behalf of family and close friends said the former mayor was a selfless and caring woman loved by many.

“She was found by her loving partner, Nikhil, yesterday in her apartment after not meeting him at the airport for a beautiful planned trip to Europe,” the post said.

“Sarah’s mother and stepfather, Gaynor and Ian Morris, and her two sisters, Amanda and Rebecca, along with Nikhil, ask for patience and privacy while we work out next steps.

“Please continue to share your love and tributes in honour of this amazing woman who gave her everything to making the world a better place for everyone.”

Save the Children Australia said in a statement that Carter was committed to making a difference in the world and was the “pioneer and driver” of its Australian Regional Leadership Initiative.

The program arranges tours for Australian politicians to gain first-hand experience in aid efforts in the Pacific, Middle East and South-East Asia. Carter had returned from a trip to Vanuatu with a group of MPs at the weekend.

Carter was elected mayor of Maribyrnong three times.

“She put her everything into her work at Save the Children for a decade. The world is a lesser place for her passing,” the charity said. “She devoted her enormous energy and talent to raising awareness of the challenges facing vulnerable children around the world. She achieved a tremendous amount in her far-too-short life.”

Gippsland Nationals MP Darren Chester said that he was part of two delegations Carter led to Cambodia and Fiji, which “re-shaped my opinions on Australia’s role in Asia and the Pacific”.

“There’s no question that her work, alongside colleagues from Save the Children and other aid organisations, was changing people’s lives,” Chester wrote on Facebook.

“Everyone who knew Sarah would agree she was destined to achieve even greater things in life.”

Carter with Labor frontbencher and Melbourne MP Bill Shorten.

Carter was serving her fourth consecutive term as a Maribyrnong councillor and had been on the inner-west council for 16 years.

Premier Jacinta Allan said she had witnessed first-hand the way Carter had engaged with her community and acted as a “strong, powerful voice” for Maribyrnong.

“She was a shining light in her community,” Allan said. “This is just a tragedy – a woman taken far too young when she had so much more to offer in terms of community and public service.”

The Les Twentyman Foundation said Carter had been a significant supporter of the Footscray-based charity for more than a decade.

“Her unwavering commitment to improving the lives of young people in her local community and all around the globe showcased her incredible kindness and compassion,” the foundation said.

“Thank you, Sarah, for your passion and dedication to the west. Your legacy will continue to inspire us all.”

This masthead spoke to other friends and family on Tuesday who were shocked and devastated by the councillor’s unexpected death.

Carter was the first woman to be elected mayor of Maribyrnong three times, and received multiple awards for her contribution to the council since first being elected in 2008.

Carter was floated as a potential Labor candidate for the federal seat of Hawke in 2021, which turned into a messy subfactional dispute over gender representation within the Labor Right.

She spoke at a rally on the steps of Victorian parliament during that preselection battle to demand a woman be preselected for the seat in Melbourne’s north-west.

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