The City of Banyule covers parts of the inner north of Melbourne, including Ivanhoe, Montmorency, Rosanna, Heidelberg, Viewbank and parts of Bundoora, Greensborough and Macleod.
The council had a population of 126,236 as of the 2021 census.
- Wards
- Incumbent councillors
- History
- Council control
- Candidate summary
- Assessment
- Voting trends by ward
Wards
The City of Banyule is divided into nine single-member wards as of 2024:
- Bakewell – in the north, covering parts of Greensborough and Watsonia.
- Beale – in the north-east, covering St Helena and parts of Eltham North and Greensborough.
- Chelsworth – in the south-west, covering Ivanhoe.
- Griffin – in the south, covering Ivanhoe East, Eaglemont and Heidelberg.
- Grimshaw – in the north-west, covering Watsonia North and parts of Watsonia and Bundoora.
- Hawdon – in the centre, covering Yallambie, Viewbank and parts of Rosanna.
- Ibbott – in the west, covering parts of Macleod, Heidelberg Heights, Heidelberg West and Rosanna.
- Olympia – in the south-west, covering Bellfield and parts of Heidelberg Heights and Heidelberg West.
- Sherbourne – in the east, covering Lower Plenty, Montmorency and Briar Hill.
| Bakewell | Mark Di Pasquale (Independent) | Hawdon | Vacant (Independent)2 |
| Beale | Elizabeth Nealy (Ind. Labor) | Ibbott | Tom Melican (Ind) |
| Chelsworth | Alida Mckern (Greens) | Olympia | Peter Dimarelos (Ind) |
| Griffin | Peter Castaldo (Greens) | Sherbourne | Alison Champion (Ind) |
| Grimshaw | Rick Garotti (Independent)1 |
1Rick Garotti resigned as a member of the ALP in February 2021.
2Fiona Misinikos resigned in August 2024.
History
The City of Banyule was created in 1994 as an amalgamation of the City of Heidelberg with parts of the Eltham and Diamond Valley shires.
The council has always been elected from single-member wards. The council had seven councillors until 2020, when that was increased to nine.
Council control
Peter Castaldo served as mayor from 2022 to 2023, and Tom Melican has been mayor since 2023.
Candidate summary
Sitting councillors Tom Melican and Peter Dimarelos are not running for re-election.
The Greens are running in seven wards and the Victorian Socialists are running in four wards. Every other candidate is running without a formal party endorsement.
Assessment
This council is on the edge of the Greens heartland, and the party has managed to win two single-member wards at the southern tip of the council. It’s worth watching to see if they can hold on to this position or even improve it.
Voting trends by ward
In order to understand the relative political position of each ward, I have estimated the results of the 2022 federal election in each ward.
On a two-party-preferred basis, Labor won all nine wards, with a vote ranging from 60% in Beale to 67% in Olympia. Labor generally does better in the west.
Candidates – Bakewell Ward
- Callum Shaw
- Cr Mark Di Pasquale
- William Roumeliotis (Victorian Socialists)
- David Scott (Greens)
- Stephen Hird
- Nicola Rooks
Candidates – Beale Ward
- Cr Elizabeth Nealy
Candidates – Chelsworth Ward
- Cr Alida McKern (Greens)
- Kristina Murray
- Houwaida Ayoub
Candidates – Griffin Ward
- David Griffiths
- Keith McLachlan
- Cr Peter Castaldo (Greens)
Candidates – Grimshaw Ward
- Rory Gee (Victorian Socialists)
- Cr Rick Garotti
- Sam Boatwright (Greens)
Candidates – Hawdon Ward
- Raj Bhatia
- Will Cardamone
- Chris Kearney
- Matt Wood
Candidates – Ibbott Ward
- Melissa Murphy-Webster
- Paul Brown
- Alicia Curry
- Marty Hirst (Victorian Socialists)
- Nina Crawley (Greens)
Candidates – Olympia Ward
- Mary O’Kane
- Craig Langdon
- Abdirizak Mohamed
- Alex Childs
- Amina Liban
- Lucas Moore (Victorian Socialists)
- Wendy Palliser
- Paul Morland (Greens)
Candidates – Sherbourne Ward
- Lauren Sandars
- Cr Alison Champion
- Ian Robertson
- Greta Gillies (Greens)
- Michelle Giovas