The 2024 Victorian local elections were held on 26 October 2024 to elect the councils of 78 of the 79 local government areas (LGAs) in Victoria. The elections were conducted by the Victorian Electoral Commission (VEC), with voting taking place via post throughout October to elect 647 councillors across the state.
New councillors were elected in Casey and Whittlesea for the first time since 2016 after the councils were dismissed in February and March 2020 respectively.
39 councils were affected by the Local Government Act 2020, which will see a large number of multi-member wards replaced with single-member wards. This significantly increases the number of wards but will likely reduce the average number of candidates standing in these wards.Page, G (2022), Inquiry into the 2022 federal election, Submission 331, https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Joint/Electoral_Matters/2022federalelection/Submissions
No election was held for Moira Shire after the council was dismissed in March 2023 and a panel of administrators was appointed. The next election for Moira is scheduled to be held in October 2028.
Background
In February 2022, Labor councillor Milad El-Halabi resigned from Moreland City Council after being charged with conspiracy to cheat and defraud for allegedly tampering with the council elections. He was replaced via countback in March 2022 by Socialist Alliance's Monica Harte.
On 31 March 2023, the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal found that El-Halabi was unduly elected. He has denied all allegations.
Greens resignations The Greens have had five of its councillors resign from the party since the 2020 elections, and a further four seats have been lost due to resignations and deaths, reducing its total number from 36 to 28 as of July 2024.
James Conlan (Merri-bek) left the party in solidarity with senator Lidia Thorpe, Amanda Stone (Yarra) resigned in February 2023, and Anab Mohamud (Yarra) resigned in February 2024.
In April 2024, both Greens councillors in Monash − Anjalee de Silva and Josh Fergeus − left the party.
Electoral system
Like in state and federal elections, Victorian local elections use full preferential voting, meaning voters must number every candidate. With the exception of Melbourne City Council, which has a "Leadership Team" election (consisting of a lord mayor and deputy lord mayor), mayors are not directly-elected and are instead chosen by councillors.
Business vote in Melbourne
Political parties The Greens endorse all candidates for local elections, while Labor Party members can either be formally endorsed or stand as "non-endorsed, supported candidates" (otherwise referred to as Independent Labor).
The Liberal Party typically does not endorse candidates; however, the party has an endorsed ticket for the Melbourne City Council leadership team (lord mayor and deputy lord mayor) for the first time in party history. Local party branches also often make their own endorsements.
The Animal Justice Party, Fusion Party, Libertarian Party, Socialist Alliance and Victorian Socialists are endorsed candidates.
Analysis by The Age found that 47% of candidates in Greater Melbourne were members of a political party, including both endorsed and non-endorsed candidates.
Endorsed candidates Animal Justice Party − 10 candidates Fusion Party − 1 candidate Labor Party − 54 candidates Liberal Party − 4 candidates Libertarian Party − 16 candidates Socialist Alliance − 6 candidates The Greens − 124 candidates Victorian Socialists − 79 candidates
Candidates A total of 2,231 people nominated to contest the elections − 45 more than the amount that contested the 2020 elections. More than 60 candidates were Greek Australians.
Mandatory candidate training All candidates in Victorian local elections are required to complete mandatory training to "help [candidates] understand the role and responsibilities of being a councillor". This requirement was introduced at the 2020 elections as a result of the Local Government Act 2020, and candidates who do not complete the training are ineligible to nominate. No other state has these requirements for any elections.
Following the close of nominations, the VEC announced that four candidates were "retired" after it was found they had not completed the required training. These candidates were retired prior to ballot papers being printed, and did not appear on any ballots.
However, a further 16 candidates were retired after 30 September 2024, which was after ballot papers had been printed. This means that while they remained on the ballot, they were not eligible to serve as a councillor and their votes were distributed to other candidates according to voters' preferences.
The retirements brought the total number of candidates down to 2,211.
Party changes before elections A number of councillors joined or left parties before the 2024 elections, including three councillors who joined the Victorians Party before it dissolved in September 2022.
Council Ward Councillor Former party New party Date Hepburn Creswick Tim Drylie Independent Greens Unknown date Melbourne Unsubdivided Jason Chang Team Arron Wood Independent 2021 Banyule Grimshaw Rick Garotti Labor Independent 8 February 2021 Boroondara Solway Garry Thompson Liberal Independent Mid-2021 Moreland North-West Oscar Yildiz Independent Victorians 26 November 2021 Moreland North-West Milad El-Halabi Labor Independent Labor 10 February 2022 Swan Hill Central Stuart King Independent United Australia 18 February 2022 Melbourne Unsubdivided Philip Le Liu Bring Back Melbourne Victorians 24 June 2022 Moreland North-East Helen Pavlidis-Mihalakos Independent Victorians 24 June 2022 Melbourne Unsubdivided Philip Le Liu Victorians Bring Back Melbourne 15 September 2022 Moreland North-West Oscar Yildiz Victorians Independent 15 September 2022 Moreland North-East Helen Pavlidis-Mihalakos Victorians Independent 15 September 2022 Yarra Nicholls Amanda Stone Greens Independent 6 February 2023 Merri-bek South James Conlan Greens Independent 7 February 2023 Stonnington East Joe Gianfriddo Angry Victorians Independent 29 June 2023 Colac Otway Unsubdivided Tosh-Jake Finnigan Sack Dan Andrews Independent 22 December 2023 Yarra Langridge Stephen Jolly Independent Socialist Yarra For All February 2024 Yarra Langridge Michael Glynatsis Independent Yarra For All February 2024 Yarra Nicholls Bridgid O'Brien Independent Socialist Yarra For All February 2024 Yarra Langridge Anab Mohamud Greens Independent 27 February 2024 Monash Mount Waverley Anjalee de Silva Greens Independent 8 April 2024 Monash Oakleigh Josh Fergeus Greens Independent 8 April 2024 Greater Shepparton Unsubdivided Sam Spinks Greens Independent 11 July 2024 Moonee Valley Myrnong Rose Iser Independent Labor 2024 Darebin North Central Julie Williams Labor Independent 2024 Darebin North East Tim Laurence Labor Independent 2024
Elections timeline Voting takes place throughout October.
17 September – Candidate nominations close at 12pm 7−10 October – VEC to post ballot pack to voters 15 October – Expected receipt of ballot pack by all voters 25 October – Completed ballot papers must be sent to VEC before 6pm 26 October – Elections day, although no voting takes place on this date and counting will begin 15 November – Elections results announced by this date
Campaign and controversies In Manningham, Westerfolds Ward candidate Isabella Eltaha received criticism after handing out campaign flyers at Saint Haralambos Greek Orthodox Church "despite being explicitly asked not to campaign during a Sunday service". Eltaha told the Manningham Leader that she was "shocked" that anyone had an issue with her attendance and said she was "never told not to attend".
Israel–Gaza war The Gaza war was the subject of campaigning in the local elections. As was the case at the New South Wales local elections in September, a group called "We Vote For Palestine" asked candidates to sign their pledge, which included supporting a ceasefire and divesting from Israel.
Results
Party Votes % Swing Seats Change Independents 2,093,674 60.29 457 Ind. Labor 375,223 10.81 58 Ind. Liberal 356,697 10.27 48 Greens 201,189 5.79 28 Labor 121,013 3.45 +1.01 20 8 Victorian Socialists 67,296 1.94 +1.33 1 Community Independents 30,018 0.86 +0.86 2 2 Your Local Independents 21,940 0.63 +0.63 2 1 18,558 0.53 -0.21 2 Libertarian 18,449 0.53 2 Ind. National 16,439 0.47 5 1 16,157 0.46 +0.46 4 1 Community Labor 15,914 0.46 +0.46 3 3 Ind. Libertarian 13,133 0.38 2 2 Liberal 12,841 0.37 +0.37 1 1 Socialist Alliance 12,771 0.37 +0.09 1 10,588 0.30 +0.30 1 1 9,366 0.27 -0.10 1 7,279 0.21 -0.06 3 1 Ind. Freedom 6,452 0.19 +0.19 0 Animal Justice 5,618 0.16 0 1 5,465 0.16 +0.16 1 1 Back to Basics Team 4,183 0.12 +0.12 2 2 Team Morgan 3,654 0.10 +0.05 1 1 Ind. Democratic Labour 3,441 0.10 0 Ind. United Australia 3,252 0.09 +0.09 1 Rip Up the Bike Lanes! 2,878 0.08 +0.08 0 Team Hakim 2,813 0.08 +0.07 0 1 Voices for Melbourne 2,689 0.08 +0.08 0 Ind. Federation 2,189 0.06 +0.06 1 1 Ind. Sustainable Australia 2,013 0.06 +0.04 0 Ind. Family First 1,893 0.05 +0.05 0 1,569 0.04 0 Innovate Melbourne 1,547 0.04 +0.04 1 1 Your Voice Matters to Me 1,134 0.03 +0.03 0 Team Elvis Martin 1,000 0.03 +0.03 0 Ind. Legalise Cannabis 996 0.03 +0.03 0 Team Participate 461 0.01 +0.01 0 Fusion 351 0.01 +0.01 0 Ind. Fusion 274 0.01 +0.01 0 Formal votes 3,472,417 Informal votes Total 645 Registered voters / turnout 4,532,506
Results analysis Greens The total statewide vote increased for the Greens, who won 28 councillors (a decrease of eight from 2020, but the same amount they held before the elections).
In Yarra, which elected a majority Greens council in 2020, the party went from five councillors to two, although the council-wide vote percentage remained almost unchanged. The party also lost all representation in Glen Eira, Port Phillip and Stonnington and lost one of its two seats in Melbourne.
Greens candidates were elected in Bass Coast, Campaspe and Frankston for the first time.
Victorian Socialists In the almost 80 wards that the Victorian Socialists contested, the party had an average first preference vote of 10.8%.
Owen Cosgriff was elected to Whipstick Ward in Greater Bendigo, becoming the party's first candidate elected outside of Greater Melbourne and its first elected to a single-member district at any level of government. Cosgriff had 40.7% of first preferences and 52.7% of the two-candidate-preferred vote, defeating two independent candidates.
The party's vote increased in Darebin, where candidate Steph Price received 44.10% of the two-candidate-preferred vote in West Ward. In South West Ward, candidate Cat Rose came close to winning the seat after finishing in third place, just 0.42% behind the Greens (who went on to defeat Labor after preference distribution).
By-elections and countbacks The Victorian Electoral Commission has held a number of by-elections and countbacks to fill vacancies on councils since the 2024 elections.
By-elections