Council election set for October, candidate information sessions

Published on 01 May 2024

Election of a new Surf Coast Shire Council will take place later this year, and a range of information sessions will be available for aspiring candidates.

Nine councillors will be elected via postal voting during October, with 26 October election day.

Following the Victorian Government’s electoral structure and ward boundary review the shire will be realigned to have three wards. The proposed names for the wards are Otway Range Ward, Torquay Ward and Winchelsea Ward. Each ward will be represented by three councillors.

Candidate nominations will open on 19 September and close at noon on 24 September.

Surf Coast Shire Council is running a series of candidate information sessions for anyone thinking about standing for Council.

Candidate information sessions:

• Torquay Ward session, Thursday 23 May, 6pm-8pm, St Therese Primary School Hall, Torquay
• Winchelsea Ward session, Wednesday 12 June, 6pm-8pm, Eastern Reserve
• Otway Range Ward session, Monday 24 June, 6pm-8pm, Aireys Inlet Community Centre

These sessions will be delivered by independent facilitator Ruth McGowan OAM. Ruth is a former Councillor and Mayor of Baw Baw Shire who believes that with the right attitude, skills, and experiences, nearly anyone can be a Councillor.

Find out more and register to attend these sessions via surfcoast.vic.gov.au/Election2024

The Municipal Association of Victoria and Victorian Electoral Commission will also run information sessions for candidates during coming months, which will be advertised at the above website.

All voting in the election will be by post, via ballot packs sent to all enrolled voters by the VEC.

All state and council-enrolled voters must vote. People with more than one property still get only one vote.

The new Surf Coast Shire Council will be inducted late November.