This year, the municipality of Merri-bek will be split into 11 wards for the purpose of electing the new council in November’s election. Each ward will elect one representative in a cut-throat ‘winner takes it all’ system. This is a radical departure from the status quo in Merri-bek, which has for the past 20 years adopted a proportional representational model for our 3 ward municipality. While some argue that smaller ward sizes increases accountability, proportional representative systems provide minority (and less well funded) groups with a greater opportunity to gain a seat, thereby increasing the potential for non-affiliated locals to represent their community.
In 2004, when the independent Victorian Electoral Commission (VEC) was first entrusted with the responsibility of advising councils on the most appropriate electoral structure, Merri-bek took the VEC’s advice and shifted its single-member system to a multi-ward system.
The reason for Merri-bek reverting to a single-member ward system now, is that the Local Government Act 2010 (Vic) was amended in 2020 to ensure the default electoral structure of local councils across Victoria would be a single-member ward system going forward.
The amendment was proposed by ex(pelled)-Labor MP Adem Somyurek, who stated that ‘single member wards will enable residents to receive direct representation, and councillors will be more accountable to their local communities’.
Ordinarily, local councils undergo a representation review process every few years, which takes into account factors such as demographics, geography and community. These were conducted solely by the VEC, and as such, were independent of politicians’ interference. Somurak’s amendment overrode this review system, and subsequently ignored a number of recommendations due to be implemented across several councils.
When the amendment was passed in 2020, 8 councils, including Darebin, immediately had their electoral structure changed to single-member wards. Merri-bek was not due for review at the time and is only now being affected. Before this, only 1 council since 2004 had actively varied its structure to a single-member ward, and the prevailing trend prior to 2020 appears to have been toward encouraging a multi-member ward structure.
The Victorian Local Government Association (VLGA), which is an independent peak body for local government, made a submission against Somuraks’ bill, stating ‘[g]iven the lack of evidence highlighting any failure of the current electoral representation review process, the VLGA opposes the proposed reform…’. The VLGA pointed to an example of a then-recent Commission of Inquiry in the City of Greater Geelong, that resulted in a change from a single member ward structure to a multi-member ward structure. The VLGA also made the point that the VEC, due to its independence, was appropriately responsible for advising the relevant minister about suggestions on the best structure for a particular municipality, and that this review process had not been the subject of any criticism.
Instead of the VEC advising councils about their electoral structure, a panel of members all appointed by the Minister for Local Council will now review the municipalities, and consider whether exceptions to the general rule of single-member wards should be exercised (a power which hasn’t yet been utilised).
Somyurek’s amendment is widely criticised as being solely aimed at increasing Labor chance of securing majorities in local council.
It might be too early to tell whether these intentions will materialise. However, we know that in the 2020 elections for Darebin, the Council lost a Greens seat and gained a Labor seat.
Merri-bek has long outnumbered Labor on council with strong Socialist, Independent and Green appointments. However, in the upcoming local council election, candidates will need an overall majority to win a seat. Less well-resourced candidates, such as Bolton, Conlan and Independents, may struggle to retain their seats against Greens and Labor.
By Meddler Verify
The Coburg Meddler 