2017 Greater Geelong City Council election

The previous Greater Geelong City Council was elected in 2012, while Mayor Darryn Lyons was elected at a 2013 by-election.

The council was sacked by the Andrews Government in May 2016 after allegations of bullying, with administrators installed to manage city and council affairs as well as to remove cultural problems that led to the sacking.{{cite web| url = http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/dysfunctional-geelong-council-sacked-for-four-years-20160411-go3txf.html| title = 'Dysfunctional' Geelong council sacked for four years| date = 11 April 2016}}

While all other local government areas in Victoria went to the polls in November 2016 as per usual, Geelong did not. Instead, a Citizen's Jury was established to help determine a way forward, including deciding on the structure a future council should take.

Eventually, legislation was introduced and passed the Victorian Parliament to bring forward elections to October 2017 instead of 2020, as was originally planned.{{cite news| url = http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-04-14/geelong-council-elections-could-be-held-as-early-as-next-year/7326368| title = Geelong Council officially sacked, elections to be held in 2017, as bill passes Parliament - ABC News| website = Australian Broadcasting Corporation| date = 14 April 2016}}

For the first time in Geelong, councillors were elected to four multi-member wards:

• Bellarine (3 councillors)
• Brownbill (3 councillors)
• Kardinia (3 councillors)
• Windermere (2 councillors)

Before this, the council comprised 12 wards that each had a single councillor, as well as a directly-elected mayor. They were as follows:

• Austin
• Beangala
• Brownbill
• Buckley
• Cheetham
• Corio
• Coryule
• Cowie
• Deakin
• Kardinia
• Kildare
• Windermere

Proportional representation was introduced at the 2017 election, with instant-runoff voting used previously.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:right; margin-bottom:0"

! style="width:10px" colspan=3 | Party

! style="width:70px;"| Votes

! style="width:40px;"| %

! style="width:40px;"| Seats

! style="width:40px;"| Change

|-

| {{Australian party style|Independent|width:1px}} |  

| style="text-align:left;" colspan="2"| Independent

| style="width:70px;"|

| style="width:40px;"|

| style="width:40px;"| 5

| style="width:55px;"| {{increase}} 1

|-

| {{Australian party style|liberal|width:1px}} |  

| style="text-align:left;" colspan="2"| Independent Liberal

| style="width:70px;"|

| style="width:40px;"|

| style="width:40px;"| 4

| style="width:55px;"| {{decrease}} 1

|-

| {{Australian party style|Labor|width:1px}} |  

| style="text-align:left;" colspan="2"| Independent Labor

|

|

| 1

| {{decrease}} 1

|-

| {{Australian party style|Greens}} |  

| style="text-align:left;" colspan="2"| Greens

|

|

| 1

| {{steady}}

|-

| {{Australian party style|Animal Justice}} |  

| style="text-align:left;" colspan="2"| Animal Justice

|

|

| 0

| {{steady}}

|-

| {{Australian party style|Socialist Alliance}} |  

| style="text-align:left;" colspan="2"| Socialist Alliance

|

|

| 0

| {{steady}}

|-

| {{Australian party style|NATIONALS}} |  

| style="text-align:left;" colspan="2"| Independent Nationals

|

|

| 0

| {{steady}}

|-

|-

! colspan="3" rowspan="1" |  Formal votes

|

|

|

|

{{election box end}}

{{Election box begin

|title = 2017 Greater Geelong local election: Bellarine Ward

}}

{{Election box candidate AU party

|party = Independent Liberal

|candidate = Stephanie Asher

|votes = 10,984

|percentage = 27.38

|change =

}}

{{Election box candidate AU party

|party = Independent Liberal

|candidate = Trent Sullivan

|votes = 3,437

|percentage = 8.57

|change =

}}

{{Election box candidate AU party

|party = Animal Justice

|candidate = Naomi Adams

|votes = 3,129

|percentage = 7.80

|change =

}}

{{Election box candidate AU party

|party = Independent

|candidate = Tom Roe

|votes = 2,501

|percentage = 6.23

|change =

}}

{{Election box candidate AU party

|party = Independent

|candidate = Petra Goerschel

|votes = 954

|percentage = 2.38

|change =

}}

{{Election box turnout

|votes =

|percentage =

|change =

}}

{{election box end}}

class="wikitable" ! colspan=4 | 9 candidate declared{{cite web |url=http://www.matthrkac.com/geelong-council/bellarine |title=Bellarine Ward - Geelong Council 2017 · MattHrkac.com |website=www.matthrkac.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170824005549/http://www.matthrkac.com/geelong-council/bellarine |archive-date=2017-08-24}}
colspan=2 | Party ! | Candidate ! |Background
{{Australian party style|Animal Justice}}|  |Animal Justice Party |Naomi Adams |
{{Australian party style|Independent}}|  |Independent |Stephanie Asher | Consultant
{{Australian party style|Independent}}|  |Independent |Anne Brackley |
{{Australian party style|Labor}}|  |Labor |Jim Mason |
{{Australian party style|Greens}}|  |Greens |Stephen McGain |
{{Australian party style|Independent}}|  |Independent |Art Sims |
{{Australian party style|Liberal}}|  | Liberal | Trent Sullivan | President of the Geelong Young Liberals, real estate agent
{{Australian party style|Liberal}}|  |Liberal |John Van Beveren |Lawyer and small business owner
{{Australian party style|Independent}}|  |Independent |Stewart Webb |

26 September 2017:

Candidate nominations close

3 October:

Windermere candidates forum at 94.7 The Pulse

10 October:

Brownbill candidates forum at 94.7 The Pulse

10–12 October:

Ballot packs are mailed out in the days around 10–12 October 2017.

27 October:

Postal voting closes

28 October:

Election Day

{{reflist}}

{{Geelong elections}}

GreaterGeelong

Category:2017 in Victoria (state)

Category:City of Greater Geelong

Category:October 2017 in Australia

Category:Local elections in Victoria