Starters’ gun fired in election race

THINKING of standing for council at this year’s Victorian local government elections?

Well, now it’s time to get your paperwork ready and chuck your hat in the ring as the Victorian Electoral Commission has officially opened up nominations for October’s ballots.

Electoral commissioner Sven Bluemmel said those considering standing should put their name in, but there were some requirements to get on the ballot.

“If you would like to represent your community, I encourage you to nominate as a candidate in these elections,” he said.

“If you are thinking about standing for election, make sure to confirm your eligibility and complete the mandatory online candidate training through Local Government Victoria before lodging your nomination.

“This includes candidates who are currently or have previously been a councillor.”

The official nomination period is open until 12pm on Tuesday next week, and along with required training there’s also a $250 fee and candidates need to meet with the local election manager before being added to the list of potential councillors.

Once all the candidates are confirmed the VEC will post the ballot order, as well as candidate statements and pictures and responses to an optional questionnaire on its website from Wednesday next week.

Voting in the local government elections will get under way from Monday, October 7 by compulsory postal vote with last ballots needing to be dropped at the relevant local election office before 6pm on Friday, October 25 or postmarked before that day.

Eligible voters in the Rural City of Mildura will vote in a single-councillor ward model for their first time since municipal amalgamation in the early 1990s, with seats available in nine wards.

As of publication 11 people had said they indented to stand for MRCC across eight wards, with no one yet putting their hand up for Mildura Wetlands Ward.

Officially only nominations from Rebecca Crossling in Karadoc Ward and Rohan Morris in Kings Billabong Ward had been accepted by the VEC after the first day of nominations. Carli Leishman in Millewa Ward joined the nomination list on Tuesday.

Swan Hill Rural City Council voters will aim to elect seven councillors at large across a single ward coving the whole municipality.