Ballarat City Council electoral structure review

The Local Government Act 2020 (the Act) introduced several changes, including to the electoral structures local councils must have. Throughout 2023–24, 39 Victorian local councils are undergoing electoral structure reviews to ensure they comply with the Act.

Ballarat City Council is being reviewed by an electoral representation advisory panel, with administrative and technical support from the Victorian Electoral Commission (VEC). The panel will consider: 
•    the appropriate number of councillors and wards for the council
•    ward boundary locations
•    ward names. 

The panel will consider the requirements of the law to propose models for the council’s structure in a preliminary report. You will be able to share your views on this report and which model would best serve your community. This is known as a response submission.

The preliminary report is released and response submissions for the Ballarat City Council review open on Wednesday 28 June and close at 5 pm on Wednesday 19 July. 

At the end of the review, the panel will make a final recommendation to the Minister for Local Government. Any change to the electoral structure for Ballarat City Council following this review is expected to apply at the next local council elections. 

To find out more visit vec.vic.gov.au or call 131 832.

Online public information sessions about the review will be held:

•  12 pm on Monday 26 June

• 6 pm on Tuesday 27 June

Visit the VEC website to attend the live online event.

*A public hearing is scheduled for those who have requested to speak in support of their response submission. If there are no requests to speak, the hearing will not be held.

To find out more about the review process and how you can have your say, visit the Ballarat City Council review page on the VEC website.