Asher rules out state election run

CITY of Greater Geelong councillor Stephanie Asher has ruled out running for state Parliament at the election in November.

Cr Asher announced her resignation as Geelong mayor at the start of June, following her unsuccessful candidacy for the Liberals in the federal seat of Corangamite.

A councillor for the Bellarine Ward, Ms Asher had been raised as a possible contender in the state seat of Bellarine before long-serving Labor MP Lisa Neville announced her resignation last week.

Following Ms Neville’s confirmation she would not recontest Bellarine, Ms Asher said she was not considering nominating for that seat or any other at the November poll.

“I understand Lisa has struggled with health issues, but I congratulate her on her political career and wish her all the best for the future,” Ms Asher said.

Ms Asher’s political history includes a losing run against Labor incumbent Richard Marles in Corio at the 2013 federal election, when she ran as an independent.

Months later she placed second behind Darryn Lyons in the Geelong mayoral elections.

In 2017, Ms Asher was first elected to public office as a City of Greater Geelong councillor, joined the Liberal Party in 2018 and was appointed Geelong mayor in October 2019.

Confirmed as the Liberal candidate for Corangamite in July 2021, Ms Asher took leave from the mayoral role in January this year to focus full-time on her bid to oust Labor incumbent Libby Coker from the highly marginal seat but lost the contest with a two-party preferred swing to Ms Coker of 6.5 per cent.

In the immediate wake of her election loss, Ms Asher said she was looking forward to returning to the role of Geelong mayor and “continuing a productive relationship with government representatives at both state and federal level”.

A week later, she changed tack and said it was not appropriate that she remain as head of the council.

“It has become apparent that the best thing for achieving progress – particularly in relation to the vital working relationship between the new federal government and the council – is to have a change of mayor,” Cr Asher said at the time.

“The role of mayor is not a political role, it’s a community representative role. I have never mixed the two and party politics has never been welcome or accepted in the chamber during my time as mayor.”