This October, Victorians will vote by post in local council elections.

Victorian Council Elections 2020

As our communities continue to grow and adapt to the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, the role of our local streets is changing.

Making it easier for people of all ages and abilities to ride or walk is one of the key ways to build liveable, sustainable and resilient communities full of healthy and happy people.

Local governments have an important role to play when it comes to creating people-friendly streets that support active transport. 

One of the key functions of a council is to support community well-being and development, transport infrastructure and opportunities for recreation.

The upcoming Victorian Council elections present an opportunity to elect candidates that support initiative and improvements that encourage bike riding and walking. 

It’s more critical than ever that councils prioritise active transport and recreation as a way to manage the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and the economic recovery of local businesses. 

This October, we want to see the election of councillors that support liveable, safe and people-friendly streets.

Making it easier to ride in your local community 

Nearly all bike trips, whether for transport or recreation, start on local residential streets.

Below are just some of the ways your council can help make it easier to ride a bike: 

  • Accessible and appealing active travel links to employment, school, work and local shops.  
  • Open spaces, parks and facilities for recreation and leisure.
  • Low speeds (30km/h) on local streets.
  • End of trip facilities and bike parking where you need them. 
  • Engagement with programs like Ride2School.
  • Fast-tracked implementation of bike plans.
  • Trials of parklets, pop-up bike lanes or other progressive measures to make it easier for people to ride and practice physical distancing. 

From groups of kids pedalling in parks or playing on local streets, to families and people of all ages riding the paths and trails in our neighbourhoods – there are some positives that we’d like to see stick around post lockdown.

No one knows your community better than you.
You know what your community needs. 
Now’s the time to ask your candidates where they stand on issues that are important to you.

 

HOW CAN YOU HELP?

Are you a local candidate up for election? 

Don’t wait to be contacted. If you’ve got a strong position on bikes, send us your responses to the questions listed and we’ll publish them on our website.

There are more than 70 councils going to the polls this Victorian Council Election.

We’re calling on our members, friends, BUGs and local organisations to get involved. 

Reach out to your local candidates and ask them how they plan to make your local streets more vibrant, liveable and bike friendly. 

Here are some questions to ask your candidates: 
  1. If elected, how will you support making it easier for people to walk and ride in [insert your local government area]?
  2. When you go out on your bike, where is your favourite place to ride?
  3. Are you satisfied with the progress being made with your council’s bike strategy?

If you’ve got a local infrastructure project, road, speed limit or initiative you’d like to see the council support, it’s worth raising that too. 

If you get a response, send it to us via our website and we’ll post them publicly on this website. 

We’ll receive statements up until Tuesday 6 October, 2020. 

KEY DATES

  • Friday 28 August – Electoral role closes 
  • Thursday 17 September – Candidate nominations open
  • 12pm, Tuesday 22 September – Candidate nominations close 
  • Wednesday 23 September – Lodgement of candidate statements close
  • Tuesday 6 October – Ballot mail out begins
  • 6pm, Friday 23 October – voting closes
  • Friday 13 November – results declared

To find your candidates or information about your local council visit the Victorian Electoral Commission website. 

Please note: All councils will have elections except Casey City Council, South Gippsland Shire Council and Whittlesea City Council.

Find my council

Council election candidates - responses

As we start to receive candidate responses outlining their positions on bikes, we’ll post them here, unedited.

Bicycle Network would like to thank Boroondara BUG, Darebin BUG, Hume City BUG, Moreland BUG, Port Phillip BUG, Glen Eira BUG, BrimBUG, MeBUG and all Bicycle Network members who actively pursued local candidate statements. 

We’ll be accepting candidate statements up until 5pm, Tuesday 6 October. 

The following candidate responses have been received: 

  • Belinda Coates – Central Ward
  • Ellen Burns – North Ward
Candidate statements

Responses received:

  • Emily Bieber – Hawdon Ward
Candidate responses

Bass Coast community members have contacted candidates and responses have so far been received from candidates in the Island and Western Port wards.

Island Ward

  • Ash Belar
  • Darrell Silva
  • Jeni Jobe
  • Michael Whelan
  • Trish Cerini

Western Port Ward

  • Bruce Kent
  • Geoff Ellis
  • Rochelle Halstead
Candidate responses

Boroondara BUG have surveyed candidates and are sharing the candidate’s responses with Bicycle Network. Below are the responses we’ve received so far:

Bellevue Ward: 

  • Greg Ball
  • Astrid Judge
  • Austin King 
  • Astrid Judge
  • Alexander Sawyer
  • Sienna Watson 

Cotham Ward: 

  • Cr Felicity Sinfield
  • Bill Young

Gardiner Ward: 

  • Simon Denton
  • Catherine Diggins
  • Victor Franco
  • Greg Selkirk

Glenferrie Ward: 

  • Luke Balasingam
  • Wes Gault
  • Steve Hurd
  • Henry Kerr
  • Lindon Parbery

Junction Ward:

  • Greg Deakin
  • Di Gilles
  • Ralph Krein

Maling Ward:

  • Cr Jane Addis
  • Peter Barclay
  • Peter Campbell
  • James Damches

Maranoa Ward:

  • Helen Tsoutsouvas

Riversdale Ward: 

  • Robert Ballieu
  • Susan Biggar 

Solway Ward: 

  • Sam Fitchett
  • Cr Garry Thompson

Studley Ward: 

  • Qiqi Chen
Canididate responses

BrimBUG have surveyed candidates and shared the responses with Bicycle Network. Below are the responses we’ve received so far:

Grasslands Ward: 

  • Natalie Eddy

Harvester Ward

  • Ian Douglas
  • Andrew Chang
  • Katharine Nikolic
  • Steven Tabban
  • Thomas O’Reilly

Horseshoe Bend Ward

  • Jenny Isa
  • Hannah Robertson Andrianopoulos
  • Virginia Tachos
  • George Makary
  • Emma Langoulan

Taylors Ward

  • Bruce Lancashire
  • Joseph Zybert
  • Margaret Guidice
Candidate statements

Darebin BUG have surveyed candidates and are sharing the candidate’s responses with Bicycle Network. Below are the responses we’ve received so far:

  • Esther Kennedy – Central Ward
  • Lina Messina – Central Ward
  • Craig Walters – Central Ward
  • Louise Kenney-Shen – North Central Ward
  • Monique Keel – North Central Ward
  • Adam Cursio – North East Ward
  • Bryony Edwards – North East Ward
  • Dave Lee – North East Ward
  • Zac Galbally – South Ward
  • Hugh Morris-Dalton – South Ward
  • Peter Willis – South Central Ward
  • Julie O’Brien – South East Ward
  • Phillip Sutton – South East Ward
  • Trent McCarthy – South West Ward
  • Adrian Whitehead – South West Ward
  • George Kanjere – West Ward
  • Susanne Newton – West Ward
Candidate responses

Glen Eira BUG have surveyed all candidates and shared the following responses with Bicycle Network. 

Camden Ward:

  • Jane Carslake
  • Alan Grossbard
  • Jesse Mansfield
  • David Zyngier
  • Ricci Steckroll

Rosstown Ward: 

  • Tony Athanasopolous
  • Jack Dariol
  • Neil Pilling
  • Markus Oswald
  • Sue Pennicuik

Tucker Ward: 

  • Josh Bach
  • Joanne Beilby
  • Neil Brewster
  • Jim Magee
  • Li Zhang
Candidate Responses

Hume City Bicycle User Group have surveyed candidates and are sharing the responses with Bicycle Network. 

Aitken Ward: 

  • Paul Campbell – Aitken Ward
  • Taqdir Singh Deol – Aitken Ward 
  • Imad Hanna Hirmiz – Aitken Ward
  • Drew Jessop – Aitken Ward
  • Carly Moore – Aitken Ward
  • Abdul Osman – Aitken Ward
  • Ravi Ragupathy – Aitken Ward
  • Rosham Silva – Aitken Ward

Jacksons Creek: 

  • Jarrod Bell – Jacksons Creek Ward
  • Andrew Gould – Jacksons Creek Ward
  • John Karagiannidis – Jacksons Creek Ward

Meadow Valley Ward: 

  • Joe Aguilus – Meadow Valley Ward
  • Chris Hollow – Meadow Valley Ward
  • Naim Kurt – Meadow Valley Ward
  • Sam Misho – Meadow Valley Ward
  • Vikein Mouradian – Meadow Valley Ward
  • Karen Sherry – Meadow Valley Ward
  • Sheriden Tate – Meadow Valley Ward
  • Joseph Youhana – Meadow Valley Ward
Candidate statements

Responses received: 

  • Lenka Thompson – West Ward
Candidate statements

Responses received:

  • Chay Granger – River Ward
  • Simon Crawford – Yarraville Ward
Candidate responses

Bicycle Network has received responses from Melbourne City Council leadership team and councillor candidates.

Leadership team

  • Team Zorin – candidate Wayne Tseng
  • The Greens – Apsara Sabaratnam
  • Team Arron Wood – candidates Arron Wood and Lisa Teh
  • Team Capp

Councillors

  • Fiona Sweetman
  • Jamal Hakim
  • Artemis Pattichi
  • Paul Silverberg
  • Janette Corcoran
  • Sainab Sheikh
  • Michael Kennedy
  • Rohan Leppert
  • Scott Robson

Bike Melbourne have also written up their review of candidates positions on bikes. You can read it here. 

Candidate responses

Responses received:

  •  Reynie Hafner – Glen Waverley Ward
  • Anjalee de Silva – Mt Waverley Ward
  • Stefanie Bauer – Mulgrave Ward
  • Cr Josh Fergeus – Oakleigh Ward
  • Stuart James – Oakleigh Ward
Candidate responses

Moonee Valley City Council responses received

Myrnong Ward

  • James Williams
Candidate responses

Moreland BUG have surveyed candidates and are sharing the responses with Bicycle Network. Below are the responses received so far:

North East Ward 

  • Sue Bolton
  • Muhammad Nisar Ul Murtaza
  • Meghan Street
Candidate Statements

North West Ward

  • Shaun Minehan
  • Angelica Panopoulos
  • Chris Miles
  • Daniel Taylor
  • Shanaka Perera
Candidate statements

South Ward

  • James Conlan
  • Lambros Tapinos
  • Mark Riley
  • John Durant
  • Helen Breier
  • Jacob Andrewartha
  • Nahui Jimenez
  • Shea Evans
  • Shirley Jackson
Candidate statements

Responses received: 

  • Ben Ramcharan – Sugarloaf Ward 
  • David Mullholland – Wingrove Ward
  • Geoff Paine – Wingrove Ward
Candidate responses

Port Phillip BUG have looked at the bike-related policies and actions of the candidates, both incumbent and new. See their summary and ratings here. 

All candidates in Port Phillip were also contacted by Bicycle Network. Below are the responses we’ve received so far: 

  • Steven Armstrong – Canal Ward
  • Cr Tim Baxter – Canal Ward
  • Louise Crawford – Canal Ward
  • Dick Gross – Canal Ward
  • Leslie Pianella – Canal Ward
  • Stan Gyles – Gateway Ward
  • Earl James – Gateway Ward
  • Peter Martin – Gateway Ward
  • Katherine Copsey – Lake Ward
  • Geoffrey Conaghan – Lake Ward
  • Adrian Jackson – Lake Ward
  • Bernard Mandile – Lake Ward
  • Denis Nyaguy – Lake Ward
  • Roger Ward – Lake Ward
Candidate Responses

Metro East BUG (MeBUG) have reached out to candidates in Whitehorse and published the responses on their website.

Candidate statements

Responses received: 

  • Cr Kat Bennett
candidate responses

Responses received: 

  • Jasmine Hill – Harrison Ward
  • Eli Muse – Harrison Ward
Candidate responses

All candidates at Yarra have been contacted by Bicycle Network. We’ve received the following responses so far: 

  • Jeremy Cowan – Langridge Ward
  • Gabrielle de Vietri – Langridge Ward
  • Karen Douglas – Langridge Ward
  • Peter Hude – Langridge Ward
  • Stephen Jolly – Langridge Ward
  • Don Wiggill Ash – Melba Ward
  • Edward Crossland – Melba Ward
  • David Horseman – Melba Ward
  • Hershel Landes – Melba Ward
  • Mitchell Price – Melba Ward
  • Sandeep Sarathy & Julie Bignell (joint statement) – Melba Ward
  • Sarah Witty – Melba Ward
  • Guy Barker – Nicholls Ward
  • Amanda Stone – Nicholls Ward
  • Sophie Wade – Nicholls Ward
Candidate statements

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