Councillor candidate resources

Your campaign should demonstrate how you will make important decisions on behalf of our community, including:

  • providing leadership and good governance
  • maintaining infrastructure such as roads, drains, footpaths, buildings, recreation facilities and parks
  • managing budgets
  • planning for future growth
  • contributing to policy and programs
  • providing a diverse range of property, economic, human, recreation and cultural services
  • reinforcing laws relating to environmental protection, public health, traffic, parking and animal management.

During a campaign

There are 2 important duties you must adhere to during your campaign.

Information requests

During your campaign you may seek information from us on matters that you feel important to our community.

To ensure transparency and fairness, we keep a weekly public register of questions asked by candidates and our answers. This ensures all candidates and voters have access to the same information.

Ask us a question

Declaring donations received

You may receive donations from people or organisations that support your election campaign. Funds can be used to pay for things you think might help you get votes; for example signs, pamphlets, mail outs or help with administrative tasks.

To ensure transparency and fairness, you must declare all donations received that are $500 or more in value. Declaration forms were included in your VEC candidate information packs.

Completed forms must sent to us at election@banyule.vic.gov.au

We keep a public register of all donations received.

View the donations register

Councillor induction

A comprehensive induction for newly elected councillors is undertaken at the start of each term, and continued training opportunities are offered throughout the 4-year term.

All councillors are offered equipment to undertake their new role, including a computer and mobile phone, and receive a financial allowance within limits set by the Victorian Government.

  • Councillor $31,444
  • Mayor $100,434

Additional reimbursement may be provided for costs associated with carrying out Council work, for example, childcare or travel expenses.

Steps to stand for Council

Step 1.Confirm eligibility

Most local adult residents who are Australian citizens are eligible to stand for Banyule Council, and there are no specific qualifications required to do so. Primarily, you must want to represent the voters and make good decisions for our community's future.

However, there are a few reasons that make people ineligible, including:

  • you are already employed by Banyule Council
  • you have declared bankruptcy that is unresolved.

The Victoria Electoral Commission (VEC) has full eligibility detail.

Step 2.Attend information session

Several information sessions are being hosted by different organisations and agencies to help prepare prospective candidates in the lead up to the elections.

Step 3.Determining a ward

Banyule Council is split into 9 wards: one councillor is elected in each.

While councillors represent the people of the ward in which they were elected, they also make decisions for our whole community and are not confined to ward-specific issues.

Councillors do not have to live in the ward in which they nominate. You can nominate in any ward, but you must choose one.

Step 4.Mandatory training

Before nominating, you must complete a short online training session designed to make sure you understand the basics of being a councillor before you commit to the process. You need to sign in with an email to complete the training, which takes about 30 minutes.

Complete the training session

Step 5.Nomination

You must inform the VEC if you want your name to be included on the ballot paper in your chosen ward (referred to as nominating or standing for council). You may be one of several candidates in your chosen ward.

You must get your nomination in on time. Nominations open on Monday, 9 September and close at 12pm on Tuesday, 17 September.

Resources for candidates

Many of our plans and projects are based on extensive community engagement, research and strategic planning for the medium and long-term.

Contact

If you cannot find what you need on this page, or have additional questions, contact our Governance and Integrity Team on 9490 4222.

Helping you decide

We operate best when Council reflects the community it serves.

Victorian Electoral Commission

Time expectations

The role of a councillor is often undertaken while juggling family, community and paid work responsibilities. The amount of time spent on Council matters differs amongst councillors. This Victorian Government guide explains the demands of a councillor's role and what you can expect.

Council meetings

Council meetings are held approximately every 3 weeks on a Monday evening. Councillor briefing sessions are held every Monday night where no meeting is otherwise scheduled. There are several advisory committees that councillors can elect to be part of.

Making a complaint

If you need to make a complaint about our electoral office (location to be advised), the CEO’s voter roll or placards on our property, then contact us at election@banyule.vic.gov.au


If you need to report on the conduct of a candidate or how the election is being run, get in touch with the Local Government Inspectorate.


Contact the VEC regarding unauthorised electoral campaigning material.

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