Candidates in October’s council elections will be asked what training they have done to take on the job of councillor.
And, if they’ve already been a councillor, candidates will be invited to show their performance record, including how many meetings they’ve attended … or missed.
State local government minister Natalie Hutchins said changes have been made to local government electoral regulations so that councils become more open and transparent.
“Asking candidates to tell the public about training undertaken highlights the importance of improving standards in local government,” the minister said.
“Victorians voting at this year’s council elections will have more information about their candidates than ever before.”
A questionnaire to candidates will also ask if they have read key council publications, such as its annual report and strategic plans.
Updated electoral regulations are due to come into effect this month and follow on from last year’s state government roll-out of a new performance reporting framework for councils and the Know Your Council website.
This compares the performance of councils across 66 performance and service measures.
Last week, Star Weekly asked readers what information they want their council candidates to disclose via its Facebook page.
Catherine said it would be great to be able to identify dummy candidates, who exist solely to direct preferences to the main candidate.
Paul said he plans to run as a candidate in Harrison ward on October 22. He said he wants candidates to list what community events and projects they’re involved in.
Wyndham’s council and community relations manager, Emily Keogh, said the council is supportive of any initiative that informs good decision-making at the polls.
“It is so important for residents to have as much information as possible about candidates, so that they can take this into account when voting,” Ms Keogh said.
“We strongly encourage residents to make their vote count by understanding who it is they are voting for.”
