Yarra City Council is preparing for a change in the way its wards are structured. An electoral representation advisory panel will be reviewing the electoral structure of a number of councils across Victoria, including Yarra, and seeking feedback from the community. 

This review, known as an electoral structure review, is required under the Local Government Act 2020 and means Yarra must transition to a single councillor ward structure prior to the 2024 Council elections. 39 Victorian local councils, including Yarra, are undergoing these reviews.

The current structure sees three Councillors elected in each of Yarra’s three wards, totalling nine Councillors. However, with the upcoming 2024 election, the new legislation stipulates that only one Councillor can be elected per ward. This means we need a new electoral structure with additional wards and revised ward boundaries.

The panel, with administrative and technical support from the Victorian Electoral Commission (VEC), will consider:

• the appropriate number of councillors and wards for the council
• the location of ward boundaries
• the names for each ward

To help explain the review process and answer any questions, the VEC is hosting two online public information sessions:

• 12 midday on Monday 10 July
• 6pm on Tuesday 11 July

The community has the opportunity to share their views on which of the panel’s proposed models would best serve community needs. We encourage the Yarra community to get involved in the process.

The submission period opens on Wednesday 12 July and closes at 5pm on Wednesday 2 August.

At the end of the review, the panel will make a final recommendation to the Minister for Local Government. Changes to the electoral structure for Yarra City Council following this review will apply at the 2024 local council elections.

To find out more about the review process and how you can have your say, visit the Yarra City Council review page on the VEC website.