June 14th, 2024Time to take a tilt at standing for council?
The Municipal Association of Victoria (MAV) is delivering a number of Stand for Council information sessions for the community and prospective candidates.
Every four years, City of Ballarat residents vote to elect Councillors to represent the Ballarat community. The next Council Election will be held on Saturday 26 October 2024. The Victorian Electoral Commission (VEC) is responsible for managing local Council elections.
Local democracy hinges on the need for councils to represent the diverse needs and aspirations of our local communities. This year’s council elections are an opportunity for Victorians to elect the candidates who they think best represent, at the local level, their vision and interests for a better, stronger and more sustainable future.
This election, the Ballarat Municipality will move from three wards to nine, each of these nine wards will have one elected Councillor, these new wards will be:
- Alfredton Ward
- Brown Hill Ward
- Buninyong Ward
- Central Ward
- Delacombe Ward
- Golden Point Ward
- North Ward
- Sebastopol Ward
- Wendouree Ward
In partnership with Victorian councils, the Municipal Association of Victoria (MAV) is delivering a number of Stand for Council information sessions for the community and prospective candidates. These sessions can be attended either in-person or online.
By attending one of these sessions, participants will be provided with information about:
- Local government and the important role councils play for our local communities
- The role and responsibility of a Councillor, Mayor, Deputy Mayor and CEO
- The election process and candidate requirements
- What newly elected councillors can expect soon after the elections
- Councillor training and development opportunities.
The sessions will be held at various metropolitan and non-metropolitan locations across Victoria, with interested participants able to register to attend more than one session, including outside of their municipality.
The Wimmera Southern Mallee region (hosted by City of Ballarat) Candidate Information Session will be held on:
- Thursday, 8 August at the Ballarat Town Hall. To register visit the MAV Stand for Council web page
To support and encourage a range of diverse candidates the MAV will also be hosting a number of additional sessions for women, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, people with disabilities, youth, culturally and linguistically diverse and LGBTIQA+ communities.
Key dates* for the upcoming local government election process are as follows:
| Activity | Date |
| Community and Candidate training session | Thursday, 8 August |
| Candidate Nominations open | Thursday, 19 September |
| Candidate Nominations close | Tuesday, 24 September |
| Caretaker Period Starts | 12pm (midday) Tuesday, 24 September |
| Voting Period Starts (Ballots mailed out) | Tuesday, 8 October |
| Voting Period Ends | Friday, 25 October |
| Caretaker Period Ends | 6pm Saturday, 26 October |
*These dates may change subject to the proposed Local Government (Governance and Integrity) Bill 2024.
