We recommend that you give your vote to John Dumaresq.
John was a member of the 2016, Clarke-dominated council, and along with Grant Brooker was a reliably independent voice. John’s stand includes the “protection of the Green Wedge and its biodiversity for future generations”
Authorized by D Macrae 61 Oxley Road Kangaroo Ground
We recommend that you vote to elect Cr Grant Brooker.
Twenty seven years a Blue Lake resident. Grant was a founding member of Friends of Apollo Parkways Inc 2007.This community group has worked effectively to retain open space in the Civic Drive Precinct & avoid spending $18 million on a replacement Shire Office in Eltham.
As a member of the Clarke-dominated 2016 Council Grant was a independent voice, clearly pointing out the faults in the 150 seat restaurant proposed for the green wedge in Yarrambat, ultimately, and predictably, rejected at VCAT.
We are confident he will make a valuable contribution to the 2024 Council.
Authorized by D Macrae 61 Oxley Road Kangaroo Ground
We recommend that you vote to elect Alex Grimes.
Alex is a third generation member of his family’s business, a supplier to the local mud brick building sector. A member of the Nillumbik Greens, says he is committed to looking after our green wedge, and takes appropriate positions on a range of issues including biodiversity and urban tree canopies.
Authorized by D Macrae 61 Oxley Road Kangaroo Ground
We recommend that you vote for Kate McKay.
A registered nurse, her priorities include “sustainable and human scale housing development that preserves the character of Nillumbik, supporting the biodiversity of the area by protecting our local flora and fauna, and improving recycling to match that of other councils”
Authorized by D Macrae 61 Oxley Road Kangaroo Ground
The last election, in 2020, saw the election of five new councillors in Nillumbik, replacing much of the pro-development, anti-green wedge 2016 council. That council was dominated by Peter Clarke, and it imposed wholesale, reactionary change in the council organization, starting with the CEO and working down, including the replacement of the entire planning department, losing years of accumulated knowledge of the Shire and its environmental assets and concerns in the process.
Under the current, 2020 elected council progress has been made, but slowly. This election, with five of the seven incumbents not standing for re-election, our Shire is again guaranteed a largely new elected council. Peter Perkins is aiming to add to his tally of five terms representing Ellis ward, centred on Diamond Creek, and Clarke protégé and self-described PALS founder Karen Egan is standing again for Bunjil – but she is up against high quality opposition: Hurstbridge local with significant State Government experience, Naomi Joiner.
We have used our best endeavours to identify those candidates who would be most likely to contribute to the good governance of our Green Wedge Shire, and in some cases those to beware. Click on its link below to see our recommendation for your ward:
Ballot packs were mailed out from October 7, so you should already have yours. Voting is compulsory, and you have until before last mail collection on Friday October 25 to post your completed ballot – or you can drop it off at the VEC office in Eltham by 6 pm.
Authorized by D Macrae 61 Oxley Road Kangaroo Ground
One of the two predominantly rural wards, Sugarloaf is currently held by Ben Ramcharan, a strong advocate for the protection of our green wedge and the environment. Currenty in his second term as Mayor, Ben is not standing for re-election.To replace Ben, we recommend
Murray Paternoster: Grew up locally, previously an outdoor educator and now a disability support worker. Bend of Islands landowner and committed to the protection of our unique environment for us and for future generations. At 35 will bring fresh energy to council.
We recommend you do not vote for PALS-aiigned Narelle Campbell, The position of this group is fundamentally at odds with the planning controls which protect the green wedge from inappropriate development and subdivision, and upon which its very existence depends.
Vote in Sugarloaf:
Authorized by D Macrae 61 Oxley Road Kangaroo Ground
We recommend that you vote for Naomi Joiner. She says:
We couldn’t have said it better.
Naomi has fifteen years experience working for the State Government, including for the Premier, and has dealt with all three levels of government. A long term Hurstbridge local with extensive community experience, including as a primary school council president.
We recommend that you do NOT vote for Karen Egan:
Self proclaimed founder of the PALS lobby group, whose central value is that only residents lucky enough to live in Green Wedge zones should have a say on land management. In reality all citizens of Nillumbik and Melbourne are green wedge stakeholders. Remembered for her her inept handling of the fill dumping issue in Doreen as a member of the 2016 Council.
Authorized by D Macrae 61 Oxley Road Kangaroo Ground
Local government elections are coming up. Thirty six candidates are standing in total for Nillumbik’s seven single-member wards:
| Ward | Candidates |
| Blue Lake | 2 |
| Bunjil | 7 |
| Edendale | 7 |
| Ellis | 4 |
| Sugarloaf | 5 |
| Swipers Gully | 3 |
| Wingrove | 8 |
Of the seven current councillors, only two are standing for re-election, so we are guaranteed new representation at least in the other five wards.
Voting is preferential as well as compulsory, and all candidates must be ranked – or all candidates but the last one, since the missing number may be inferred. Too few or duplicated numbers will result in a ballot not being counted.
Ballots will be posted out all over the State from October 7, and votes must be either in the mail or hand delivered to the electorate office in Eltham by Friday October 25.
Our shire, created in 1994 with the ‘green wedge as its strategic focus’, has from time to time lost that focus. We need and deserve councillors who will maintain it, along with the universal requirement for good governance. In the absence of major party politics we don’t have the option of voting for our preferred political party with its known platform, so we may be confronted with the task of ranking individuals about whom we may know no more than what we can glean from the 300 word statements that are mailed to us with the ballot paper.
We know that you will carefully consider the options in your ward, but we would like to help, with particular attention to candidates’ commitment to the ongoing protection of our green wedge.
We will be dispatching a newsletter next Friday, October 11, containing our voting recommendations.
Authorized by D Macrae 61 Oxley Road Kangaroo Ground