The upcoming local council elections in the greater Melbourne area have seen a record number of uncontested candidates, with eight sitting councillors being elected unopposed. The candidates include Lake in Port Phillip, Nealy in Banyule, Kowarzik in Cardinia, Tan in Greater Dandenong, Diamante and Lange in Manningham, and Higgins and McAllister in Yarra Ranges. This outcome has been attributed to changes in Victoria’s council voting system introduced by former local government minister Adem Somyurek, which has led to single-member wards in most metropolitan councils except for the City of Melbourne.
Ben Raue, an election analyst, has expressed concerns about the lack of political competition and reduced options for voters resulting from the shift to single-member wards. Critics argue that only well-resourced candidates, such as incumbents or those affiliated with major parties, are likely to get elected, leading to a lack of diversity in representation. The previous multi-member system was seen as a form of proportional representation, making it easier for independents and minor parties to be elected. However, the move to single-member wards has made uncontested elections more common, particularly in metropolitan Melbourne.
The push for single wards was initially proposed in 2019 and was eventually passed by parliament with the support of both Labor and the Victorian opposition after Somyurek’s dismissal due to branch stacking allegations. This change overturns a 20-year trend towards multi-member wards on councils in Victoria. Raue believes that while uncontested elections may be necessary in some low-population regional areas, they should not be occurring in metropolitan Melbourne. Lake and Diamante, two of the uncontested candidates, attributed the lack of interest from other candidates in their wards to tough economic times and decreased media coverage of councils.
Residents living in the eight uncontested wards in Melbourne will not receive a ballot paper, but will instead receive a leaflet informing them that they do not need to vote. The local council voting will be done by mail, with ballot packs scheduled to be mailed out from October 7th and must be posted by October 25th to meet the November 1st deadline. While some view uncontested elections as a necessary evil in certain circumstances, there are concerns about the impact on democracy and political diversity in the context of single-member wards. Changes to the voting system continue to be a topic of debate and discussion among analysts and local government officials in Victoria.
