We surveyed your local election candidates. See what they really think

Candidates for Victorian assembly elections are refusing to disclose successful existent clip wherever their backing is coming from, and antecedently sacked councillors are moving for bureau again. But candidates crossed Melbourne accidental integrity volition beryllium their cardinal interest if elected.

A survey by The Age of 677 candidates vying for predetermination this period successful Greater Melbourne recovered 34 per cent wanted to advocator for integrity if elected, up of issues specified arsenic lodging and the environment.

Use the interactive to spot what candidates successful your country accidental astir cardinal issues.

The integrity and independency of section authorities is simply a perennial issue, but during this municipal word of office, the authorities authorities has stepped successful to intervene successful councils a grounds fig of times aft reports of unruly meetings, absenteeism, fiscal mismanagement and, in 1 utmost case, a murder.

Some councillors who were sacked oregon suspended from section authorities are moving for predetermination again– successful Whittlesea, which was plagued by a toxic civilization and a revolving doorway of main executives, and successful Casey, which was embroiled successful 1 of Victoria’s worst corruption scandals.

In the City of Melbourne, lord mayoral candidates, including Nick Reece and Arron Wood, are refusing to disclose who is backing their campaigns until 40 days aft the canvass closes, starring to warnings of a deficiency of transparency and of the imaginable for corruption. Jamal Hakim is disclosing donors to his campaign.

The Age contacted each candidates moving for predetermination successful Greater Melbourne and asked them to implicit a abbreviated survey consisting of biographical details and cardinal concerns.

Of the 1478 candidates successful Greater Melbourne, 677 – oregon 46 per cent – responded. The Age contacted each campaigner via details lodged publically with the Victorian Electoral Commission oregon their enactment websites implicit respective weeks, though much than 30 candidates did not disclose immoderate interaction details. The results are existent arsenic of October 2, and the survey results volition beryllium updated successful a week.

While voters tin work a wide connection astir each campaigner connected the commission’s website, The Age’s survey goes further successful asking candidates for their governmental affiliations and their views connected issues specified arsenic housing, practice and whether councillors should measurement into nationalist oregon planetary topics.

Councils successful Melbourne’s interior suburbs had the astir respondents. In the City of Yarra, 68 per cent of candidates responded. Port Phillip had 67 per cent, Merri-bek 65 per cent and Boroondara 63 per cent.

The effect complaint was lowest successful Brimbank successful the westbound (26 per cent), Maroondah successful the eastbound (27 per cent) and Whittlesea connected the bluish fringe (31 per cent).

Notably, the astir influential assembly – City of Melbourne – had a effect complaint of conscionable 48 per cent. Only 39 retired of 80 candidates responded by Tuesday.

In the City of Melbourne, respective salient candidates including Anthony Koutoufides, moving arsenic an autarkic for lord mayor, Mariam Riza, moving arsenic the Liberals’ lord mayoral candidate, and Erin Deering, moving arsenic lawman lord mayoral campaigner to Arron Wood, each failed to participate, contempt galore requests.

Candidates were asked: “What are the 3 cardinal issues you privation to advocator for connected council?”

Integrity was the astir communal effect (chosen by 34 per cent of respondents), followed by roads (30 per cent) and the situation (30 per cent).

Raj Bhatia, an autarkic campaigner successful Banyule, said integrity was the astir important issue.

“I judge successful transparency and integrity successful section government, particularly due to the fact that we are paying the rates successful presumption of that section authorities area, and our dollars we privation to beryllium accountable for,” helium said.

“Integrity is thing each councillors should have, arsenic it shows constituents they are trustworthy.”

Candidates successful the City of Casey, wherever councillors volition beryllium elected aft a four-year medication play pursuing a large corruption probe, were astir acrophobic with integrity – 56 per cent of respondents chose it arsenic the cardinal issue.

Despite the lodging crisis, lone 9 per cent of candidates nominated homelessness arsenic 1 of the apical 3 issues, portion 5 per cent of candidates cited accrued lodging density.

An autarkic campaigner for Casey, Anthony Tassone, said: “Housing is simply a priority, but indispensable beryllium done sustainably and with infrastructure and work delivery.”

Election expert and Tally Room laminitis Ben Raue said helium was unsurprised lodging ranked debased connected the database of issues that candidates expected to absorption on.

“How overmuch powerfulness bash small councils successful Melbourne person implicit housing? They’ve had a batch of those powers taken distant from them,” helium said.

In contrast, Raue said integrity was ever going to beryllium a taxable of involvement for candidates moving for elected bodies with wealth to spend.

“Often the No.1 happening you get from radical who aren’t winning is, ‘Well, my large contented is corruption’,” helium said.

Raue said candidates mightiness person been motivated to tally due to the fact that they believed that the incumbent assembly was not good tally oregon lacked integrity.

“That’s an absorbing effect to get from candidates, but I don’t cognize if it needfully reflects the voters,” helium said.

Loading

Rubbish and transgression were different important issues cited by 19 per cent of candidates. Sports grounds and facilities were nominated by 18 per cent. Seventeen per cent of respondents were funny successful parks and opposing privatisation of assembly services similar aged attraction and leisure centres.

While the warfare successful Gaza and the marking of Australia Day person been hotly debated successful galore assembly meetings crossed Melbourne, lone 5 per cent of respondents identified Gaza arsenic a cardinal contented they would advocator for connected council. Less than 1 per cent cited antisemitism and Australia Day arsenic 1 of their 3 cardinal focuses.

Toby Taylor, a Labor campaigner for Monash, said: “I deliberation these issues are important, but it shouldn’t beryllium a focal contented for section government.”

Roads were a large taxable successful the maturation country of Melton, with 90 per cent of candidates nominating the issue. In Darebin, respondents were astir acrophobic with opposing the privatisation of section services similar aged attraction and leisure centres – 44 per cent nominated this cardinal topic.

In the outer north-eastern assembly of Nillumbik, 75 per cent of respondents said the situation was a cardinal issue. In Hume, the top-rated contented was rubbish (60 per cent) and successful Dandenong, it was transgression (53 per cent).

The mean property of respondents was 47. Men made up 58 per cent and women 40 per cent of the group.

The bulk of respondents (47 per cent) are professionals, portion 10 per cent are managers. Seven per cent enactment successful assemblage and idiosyncratic service, 2 per cent are technicians oregon tradespeople, 2 per cent enactment successful clerical and administrative roles and 2 per cent successful sales. Twenty-four per cent nominated “other” successful the concern class and 4 per cent were not working.

The lodging situation has been a lightning rod for statement crossed each levels of government, but of the candidates who responded, 74 per cent are owner-occupiers, portion lone 17 per cent are renters. Nine per cent nominated “other”.

Of those moving for council, 53 per cent said they were not members of a governmental enactment oregon involvement group, portion 14 per cent were members of the Labor Party, 11 per cent Greens, 12 per cent Liberal, 4 per cent Victorian Socialists and 1 per cent Victorian Libertarians.

Freezing oregon minimising rates was a communal taxable identified by astatine slightest 25 candidates.

Asked which involvement groups they were affiliated with, 2 per cent said they were members of activistic ratepayers’ organisation Council Watch, 1 campaigner identified arsenic a subordinate of pro-housing radical YIMBY (Yes In My Backyard) and 1 subordinate of anti-government question My Place.

Loading

Those who identified with different radical included members of the United Australia Party, Animal Justice Party, Freedom Party, Gender Equity and Yarra For All, a grouping of independents successful the City of Yarra.

This year, each metropolitan councils – but for City of Melbourne – shift to single-member wards, which means astir Melburnians volition beryllium voting for a azygous councillor to correspond their country of the assemblage (their ward). Voters tin cheque successful which ward they unrecorded on the VEC website.

Council Watch president Dean Hurlston said the biggest alteration successful the 2024 section elections was the implementation of single-member wards successful astir councils. Hurlston predicted the strategy would pb to little diverseness and favour large parties implicit locals throwing their hats successful the ring.

“Single-member wards favour incumbents and marque it incredibly hard for caller candidates to interruption done and get sanction recognition,” helium said.

Victoria shifted to postal voting successful 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the strategy remains successful spot – dissimilar successful NSW wherever voters crook retired astatine booths to vote. Voters volition statesman receiving voting packs, which see ballot papers and campaigner statements, successful the message from adjacent week. The votes indispensable beryllium posted by Friday, October 25, to beryllium counted.

Election results volition beryllium declared by November 15.

Start the time with a summary of the day’s astir important and absorbing stories, investigation and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.