A by-election will be held in August for Whittlesea City Council’s Lalor Ward after the 2024 local election result was declared void by the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT).
The Victorian Electoral Commission (VEC) has confirmed that voting will be conducted by post, with Acting Electoral Commissioner Dana Fleming urging all eligible residents to ensure their enrolment is up to date before the close of roll at 4 pm on Wednesday 21 May.
“You must be correctly enrolled by the close of roll. As this is a postal election, it’s important to check your address details are correct – this includes any alternative postal address,” Ms Fleming said.
The by-election follows a decision from VCAT to void the previous result in Lalor Ward. While the ruling itself has drawn attention to electoral processes, the focus now shifts to ensuring local residents and ratepayers are properly represented.
The suburb of Lalor, located in Melbourne’s north, is home to more than 15,000 voters. All residents on the state roll who live in the ward are automatically enrolled. However, there are additional categories of eligibility for non-resident ratepayers, occupiers, company nominees and non-citizen ratepayers. Applications under these categories also close at 4 pm on 21 May.
Those who fall under these special enrolment provisions must contact the council directly on (03) 9217 2170 for the relevant forms. Current council-enrolled voters can confirm their enrolment by calling the same number.
“Voting in local council elections is compulsory if you are enrolled,” Ms Fleming said. “We encourage eligible ratepayers to enrol to vote to participate in their democracy.”
She added that the decisions made by local councils have a direct impact on everyday services and businesses within the community.
Lalor Ward’s by-election is expected to draw considerable interest, not only because of the VCAT ruling but also due to the community’s strong engagement with local governance. More details about the voting period, ballot mail-outs, and candidate nominations are expected to be announced by the VEC in the coming weeks.
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