Victoria moves to tighten rules for councillors eyeing parliament
Legislation has been proposed to provide clarity to Victorian councillors looking to run in a state or federal election.
Victoria is set to tighten rules for councillors who aspire to run for state or federal parliament, with legislation proposing that they step down or take leave if they decide to enter the race. The proposed amendment, which will apply to elections held on or after January 1, 2027, would require councillors to notify the chief executive of their candidacy and take a leave of absence, aligning with existing guidelines from the Municipal Association of Victoria (MAV).
The new rules aim to prevent potential conflicts of interest and misuse of council resources, a practice already observed in other Australian states like New South Wales, Western Australia, South Australia, and Tasmania. Failure to comply could result in a fine of $25,092. The proposed changes would also extend to mayors and deputy mayors, who would need to stand down earlier than the day of nomination and notify the chief executive of their candidacy.
Brief written by urgent.news from ABC News AU's own syndicated text. Machine-written — it may contain errors, so check the original before relying on it.
