Get involved in council elections

THE call is out for Bendigo people to nominate for the October local government elections.

A campaign titled ‘Put Your Hand Up – 2024’ has been launched by the City of Greater Bendigo and will feature three community information sessions in a bid to encourage residents to run.

The three sessions will all take place at the Galkangu government hub in Littleton Terrace and will be open to everyone.

The first, ‘2024 council elections and local government in Greater Bendigo’, will be held at 6pm on Tuesday, May 28. The second will be ‘The councillor experience’ at 6pm on Thursday, June 20, and the third, ‘Future direction of City of Greater Bendigo’ is scheduled for 6pm on Wednesday, August 14.

City of Greater Bendigo chief executive officer Andrew Cooney said local government relied on residents to put up their hand and lead their community.

“To be a councillor is a privilege and it’s important that a council is representative of the community it serves, so we’re encouraging

people from a variety of

backgrounds to put up their hand and help make a difference,” Mr Cooney said.

Following a State Government review of electoral boundaries, the city’s ward structure will change for this year’s elections. Instead of

three wards with three councillors in each, the municipality will be divided into nine wards with one councillor in each.

Candidates must be Australian citizens, over the age of 18, enrolled on the City of Greater Bendigo voters’ roll, and complete mandatory local government candidate training. They can stand in any ward.

Election day will be Saturday, October 26. Voting will be by postal vote, with all votes to be received by the Victorian Electoral Commission no later than noon on Friday, November 1.

Voting is compulsory.

More information about the information sessions and about the election are at go.bendigo.vic.gov.au/electioncandidate.