Greater Shepparton City Council is getting on the front foot and voicing its opposition to a change that would see the municipality divided into nine wards, with one councillor elected from each.
It’s one of 39 Victorian councils set to undergo electoral structure reviews prior to the 2024 local government elections, to comply with new electoral representation framework under the Local Government Act 2020.
At the September council meeting, councillors voted to write to Local Government Minister Melissa Horne stating opposition to the change, and to partner with other councils to advocate against the structure being implemented.
“It makes no sense for us to even consider supporting a ward system in our community,” Mayor Shane Sali said during the meeting.
“It defeats the purpose of what we’re trying to achieve, which is an inclusive approach and full representation across our whole municipality.”
Consistent implementation of the new single member ward model aims at ensuring all councillors are elected under the same system, with equal vote shares within their council.
“Through the Local Government Act we reduced and simplified permissible electoral structures and made single member wards the ‘default’ electoral structure for councils,” a Victorian Government spokesperson said.
“Single member wards make councils more open to representation from residents, and ensure councillors are elected under the same system, making them more accountable to the communities they serve.”
Cr Seema Abdullah urged Local Government Victoria to ensure a change to the ward structure didn’t add to barriers faced by female and minority candidates.
“Women from diverse communities already have significant barriers in making themselves known outside their respective minority groups and accessing the mainstream vote base,” she said.
“A single member ward structure can make it even harder for these women to contest and succeed when their potential voters are not necessarily confined to one particular ward.”
A 2015 VEC electoral representation review found an un-subdivided model was the best fit for Greater Shepparton City Council.
In 2019, the council lodged a submission opposing the reform, with key reasons including the risk that some wards may have less strong candidates than others, and that it could lead to infighting over resources.
The current structure of Greater Shepparton City Council is un-subdivided, with nine councillors.
Neighbouring councils Moira Shire Council and Benalla Rural City Council are also un-subdivided, while Campaspe Shire Council has nine councillors across five wards and Strathbogie Shire Council has seven councillors across five wards.