Maribyrnong council election, 2024

The City of Maribyrnong covers parts of the inner west of Melbourne, including Footscray, Yarraville, Maribyrnong, Braybrook and Maidstone.

The council had a population of 85,209 as of the 2021 census.

• Wards
• Redistribution
• Incumbent councillors
• History
• Council control
• Candidate summary
• Assessment
• Voting trends by ward

Wards
The City of Maribyrnong will be divided into seven single-member wards as of 2024:

• Bluestone – in the west, covering Tottenham, West Footscray and parts of Footscray.
• Braybrook – in the north-west, covering Braybrook and parts of Maidstone.
• Burndap – in the east, covering parts of Footscray and Maribyrnong.
• River – in the north, covering parts of Maidstone and Maribyrnong.
• Saltwater – in the south-east, covering parts of Footscray, Seddon and Yarraville.
• Sheoak – in the south-east, covering parts of Footscray, Seddon and Yarraville.
• Wattle – in the south-west, covering Kingsville and parts of Yarraville.

Redistribution
The council previously consisted of three wards, electing seven councillors. The Yarraville ward elected three councillors, while the River and Stony Creek wards elected two councillors each.

The River ward covered the entire new Burndap and River wards.

The Stony Creek ward covered the entire Bluestone and Braybrook wards.

The Yarraville ward covered the entirety of the new Saltwater, Sheoak and Wattle wards.

Incumbent councillors

History
The City of Maribyrnong was created in 1994 as an amalgamation of the City of Footscray and part of the City of Sunshine.

The council was elected from seven single-member wards until 2011, when the structure changed to two two-member wards and one three-member ward. This structure was used until 2024.

Council control
There are four Labor-aligned councillors on the current council, and all four have had a year as mayor in the current term.

Candidate summary
Sitting councillors Sarah Carter and Simon Crawford are not running for re-election.

The Greens and Victorian Socialists are each running in all seven wards. All other candidates are unendorsed by a party.

Assessment
Labor already holds a majority on this council under the old multi-member ward system. The Community Labor ticket will be favourites to win a clear majority.

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.

Labor won a majority of the two-party-preferred vote in every ward, ranging from 67% in the River ward to 73% in the Saltwater and Sheoak wards. The Labor vote tends to be highest in the south-east.

Candidates – Bluestone Ward

• Brad Reich (Victorian Socialists)
• Catherine Cumming
• Wallace Huang (Community Labor)
• Pradeep Tiwari (Community Labor)
• Pierre Vairo (Greens)

Candidates – Braybrook Ward

• Lochlann Hamish Clarke
• Chris Wilson (Greens)
• Cr Cuc Lam (Community Labor)
• Catherine Robertson (Victorian Socialists)

Candidates – Burndap Ward

• Minh Quan Nguyen
• Pete Thomas (Community Labor)
• Mohamed Semra
• Thuy-Kim Le
• Fletcher Bubb
• Cr Jorge Andres Jorquera (Victorian Socialists)
• Sally Walshe (Greens)

Candidates – River Ward

• Susan Yengi (Community Labor)
• Ken Betts
• Edward Merrifield
• Cameron McDonald
• Cr Anthony Tran (Community Labor)
• Danny Cash (Greens)
• Brendan Laws (Victorian Socialists)

Candidates – Saltwater Ward

• Jenny Harrison
• Terri Soumilas
• Samantha Meredith (Greens)
• Aman Gaur (Community Labor)
• Lucinda Kelly (Victorian Socialists)
• John Cumming (Independent Labor)

Candidates – Sheoak Ward

• Paul Nam Le (Community Labor)
• Oskar Martin (Victorian Socialists)
• Cr Bernadette Thomas (Greens)
• Ari Casanova (Community Labor)

Candidates – Wattle Ward

• Elena Pereyra (Greens)
• Julien Macandili (Victorian Socialists)
• Cr Michael C. Clarke (Community Labor)
• Clint Lingard (Community Labor)
• Miles Parnall-Gilbert

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