Mayoral candidates Brett Tessari and Rochelle Halstead By Catherine Watson
IT’S been a week of total immersion for Bass Coast’s new councillors with introductions, official photographs and councillor classes on everything from governance to avoiding conflicts of interest to how to fill in their expense forms.
Behind the scenes it’s been equally busy with the two obvious mayoral candidates, returning councillors Brett Tessari and Rochelle Halstead, working the phones and doing the numbers.
While three-time mayor Cr Tessari appears to have the support of the progressive councillors, two-time deputy mayor Cr Halstead has the support of the conservatives.
The contest will be decided on Wednesday at the first meeting of the new council, unless one of them withdraws first.
IT’S been a week of total immersion for Bass Coast’s new councillors with introductions, official photographs and councillor classes on everything from governance to avoiding conflicts of interest to how to fill in their expense forms.
Behind the scenes it’s been equally busy with the two obvious mayoral candidates, returning councillors Brett Tessari and Rochelle Halstead, working the phones and doing the numbers.
While three-time mayor Cr Tessari appears to have the support of the progressive councillors, two-time deputy mayor Cr Halstead has the support of the conservatives.
The contest will be decided on Wednesday at the first meeting of the new council, unless one of them withdraws first.
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Wednesday’s meeting will cover the immediate formal business of council. The main business is the election of mayor and deputy mayor, but the real business will start at the December meeting, before the councillors get a break with no meetings planned for January.
There will be an opportunity for question time, notices of motion and the presentation of petitions at Wednesday’s meeting. The real business will start at the December meeting, before the councillors get a break with no meetings planned for January. |
The Victorian Independent Remuneration Tribunal sets council allowances, currently $109,114 for the Bass Coast Mayor, $54,558 for the Deputy Mayor and $34,028 for Councillors. The allowances will increase by CPI in December. |
The new councillors are Mat Morgan and Meg Edwards (Bunurong Ward), Tim O’Brien and Tracey Bell (Island Ward) and Jon Temby and Jan Thompson (Western Port Ward).
Former councillors Tessari (Bunurong), Halstead (Western Port) and Ron Bauer (Island) were all re-elected with a strong primary vote.
The gender divide has narrowed in the new council with four women (one more than the previous council) and five men, and the average age has also dropped with the election of 26-year-old Mat Morgan.
The generally progressive outlook of the past three councils has shifted slightly to the right, with four progressive councillors and four conservatives. Cr Tessari is regarded as sitting somewhere in the middle, despite being a member of the National Party.
The political spectrum is well covered with one member of the Liberal Party (Cr Thompson) and two former members (Crs Halstead and Edwards) and one Greens member (Cr Morgan). The Greens are the only party that requires their members to stand as endorsed candidates.
Ron Bauer is a former member of the Reason Party and Meg Edwards has stood for election for the Liberal Democrats.
Although there were plenty of pre-polling agreements by like-minded candidates about preferences, the distribution reports show they may have been a waste of time, with most voters going their own random way.
Voter enrolment was well down on the 2020 election, since non-resident ratepayers are no longer automatically enrolled, but voter turnout was slightly higher, ranging from 81 per cent in Island Ward to 84 per cent in the Bunurong Ward.
BUNURONG WARD
Elected: Brett Tessari, Meg Edwards, Mat Morgan
11,829 voters were registered and 84.26 per cent voted.
Former councillors Tessari (Bunurong), Halstead (Western Port) and Ron Bauer (Island) were all re-elected with a strong primary vote.
The gender divide has narrowed in the new council with four women (one more than the previous council) and five men, and the average age has also dropped with the election of 26-year-old Mat Morgan.
The generally progressive outlook of the past three councils has shifted slightly to the right, with four progressive councillors and four conservatives. Cr Tessari is regarded as sitting somewhere in the middle, despite being a member of the National Party.
The political spectrum is well covered with one member of the Liberal Party (Cr Thompson) and two former members (Crs Halstead and Edwards) and one Greens member (Cr Morgan). The Greens are the only party that requires their members to stand as endorsed candidates.
Ron Bauer is a former member of the Reason Party and Meg Edwards has stood for election for the Liberal Democrats.
Although there were plenty of pre-polling agreements by like-minded candidates about preferences, the distribution reports show they may have been a waste of time, with most voters going their own random way.
Voter enrolment was well down on the 2020 election, since non-resident ratepayers are no longer automatically enrolled, but voter turnout was slightly higher, ranging from 81 per cent in Island Ward to 84 per cent in the Bunurong Ward.
BUNURONG WARD
Elected: Brett Tessari, Meg Edwards, Mat Morgan
11,829 voters were registered and 84.26 per cent voted.
 Cr Brett Tessari |  Cr Meg Edwards |  Cr Mat Morgan |
Distribution report for Bunurong
ISLAND WARD
Elected: Ron Bauer, Tracey Bell, Tim O’Brien
12087 voters were enrolled and 81 per cent voted.
ISLAND WARD
Elected: Ron Bauer, Tracey Bell, Tim O’Brien
12087 voters were enrolled and 81 per cent voted.
 Cr Ron Bauer |  Cr Tracey Bell |  Cr Tim O'Brien |
Distribution report for Island
WESTERN PORT WARD
Elected: Rochelle Halstead, Jon Temby, Jan Thompson
11,842 voters were registered and 82.25 per cent voted.
WESTERN PORT WARD
Elected: Rochelle Halstead, Jon Temby, Jan Thompson
11,842 voters were registered and 82.25 per cent voted.
 Cr Rochelle Halstead |  Cr Jon Temby |  Cr Jan Thompson |
