CITY RE-DRAW: Review will force overhaul of Geelong council ward structure

THE City of Greater Geelong council will have a major shake-up to its electoral system before ratepayers next head to the ballot box, which will change how local communities are represented at City Hall.

The city will shift to single-councillor wards from the next council election in October 2024, in a significant shift from the existing system of up to three councillors across four wards.

The Victorian Electoral Commission (VEC) has ordered structure reviews of councils across the state that do not comply with state government legislation that comes into effect for the next poll.

The Local Government Act 2020 requires regional city councils to be structured as single-councillor wards, forcing a move away from Geelong’s uneven, multi-councillor ward system.

The coming review will assess how many councillors and wards the city should have, and the boundaries and names of the new divisions that are formed.

Residents and organisations will have their chance to have a say on the new wards and how the council can be structured so it provides fair, even representation of its communities.

Local Government Minister Melissa Horne has appointed independent panels that will oversee the reviews, that the commission stated would bring municipalities including Geelong that don’t meet new requirements.

“Currently, the structure of 39 local councils does not meet the requirements of the Act and must be compliant for the October 2024 council elections,” the VEC stated.

“To ensure all councils meet these requirements, the Minister for Local Government has formed two panels to conduct electoral structure reviews of the 39 non-compliant local councils over the next 18 months.”

The VEC indicated to this newspaper that the city’s review process would begin July 5, and that it would provide further details on the process – including opportunities for public input – in coming months.

A similar process for rural councils including Surf Coast Shire begins off later this month and is due to be finalised in May.

The review will include public information sessions, a round of public submissions, a draft VEC report that will open for a second round of public feedback, before the commission prepares a final recommendation to the Minister for a decision.

The City of Greater Geelong’s existing four-ward system was the result of a “citizen’s jury” process following the state government’s dismissal of the council in 2016, when a panel of residents agreed it was the best way to represent the city’s communities.

The city presenttly consists of two Windermere Ward councillors (north suburbs), and three representatives each in Brownbill (central Geelong), Kardinia (south of Barwon River) and Bellarine wards.