Council Elections
Local Government elections are held every four years. Local government is the government closest to the people. It creates the foundations for democracy and accountability. Local councils govern, provide services and advocate. Most importantly, they create opportunities for citizens to influence and participate in the democratic process and the decisions that shape our society and local communities.
Failure to vote
The Victorian Electoral Commission mail out failure to vote notices to those residents who are required to vote in Council elections and are not recorded as having voted at those elections.
What is an apparent failure to vote notice?
The apparent failure to vote notice is issued by the Victorian Electoral Commission, on behalf of the Council, under the provisions of the Local Government Act 1989. The notice invites persons who were required to vote at the elections and who appear not to have voted to provide an explanation for why they failed to vote. They may also contest that they did, in fact, vote at the elections if they believe that are incorrectly recorded as not having voted.
The apparent failure to vote notice is not an infringement notice and does not attract a fine.
How do I provide my excuse for not voting?
A detailed explanation of why a person failed to vote at an election must be added to the form on the back of the apparent failure to vote notice. The entire, completed form must then be returned within 28 days of the date of the notice by:
- Mail: A reply paid envelope was provided with the notice
- Fax: Faxing both sides of the completed notice to (03) 9620 3489
- In person: Deliver to the Victorian Electoral Commission, Level 11, 530 Collins Street, Melbourne
If the explanation is considered sufficient, no further action will be taken. If the reason is not considered sufficient or no response is received, an infringement notice may be issued to the person.
It is an offence to provide a false excuse for failing to vote at an election.
How to contact the VEC?
The VEC's compulsory voting enquiry line is available on 1300 551 575.
Donation Return Summaries
2020 Council Election
| NAME | DATE RECEIVED | GIFT SUMMARY |
|---|---|---|
| O’KEEFFE, Kim | 17 November 2020 | Nil |
| TURNER, Allan | 14 November 2020 | Nil |
| HAYDAR BIG, Zahra | 18 November 2020 | Leo Houlihan - $300 |
| DOBSON, Geoffrey | 13 November 2020 | Steve Watts – Cash $500 Prue Dobson – Cash $400 |
| JAMES, Gregory | 27 November 2020 | Stephen Threfall – Bank Transfer - $1,000 |
| ABDULLAH, Seema | 1 December 2020 | Muhammad Abdullah Pty Ltd – Corflute’s - $2,876.50 |
| PRIESTLY, Robert | 23 November 2020 | Nil |
| SPINKS, Sam | 22 November 2020 | Australian Greens, Victoria – Campaign spend by State Office - $4,875.19 Australian Greens, Victoria – Goulburn Murray Branch – Campaign Spend by branch - $87.50 Mitch Barrett – in kind video editing - $1000 Isobella Ainsworth – Social Media (credit card) - $67.10 Isobella Ainsworth – Social Media (bank transfer) - $500 Garry Ainsworth – TV Advertisment (in kind) - $1,674.20 |
| ADEM, Dinny | 2 December 2020 | Nil |
| SUTTON, Shelley | 17 November 2020 | Nil |
| BOCK, Andrew | 15 November 2020 | Nil |
| BROPHY, Anthony | 30 November 2020 | Rocco Varapodio – EFT - $1,000 Paul Bertoli – EFT - $1,000 Prominent Press – In Kind Printing of Flyers - $934.96 |
| JAMES, Royden | 13 November 2020 | Nil |
| LADSON, Ben | 25 November 2020 | Nil |
| NEFF, Steve | 1 December 2020 | Nil |
| SALI, Shane | 20 November 2020 | Transad Pty Ltd – Outdoor Media (In Kind) - $14,580 Creative Business Solutions – Website Creation (In Kind) - $2000 BSR Group (AUST) P/L – Corflute Signage (In Kind) - $4799.96 |
| SUMMER, Fern | 29 November 2020 | Peter Donald Russel – Website, Design Art, Corflute’s $6500 Snelling Engineering – Corflutes - $220 Shepparton Hotel – Advertising Sign (in kind) $3200 Jim Joseph Murphy – Advertising and deposit $1185 |