WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2026
E-bikes, scooter trial finishes
● Wayne Phillips has been ‘retired’ as a candidate in the Beale Ward by-election
Ex-MP Wayne Phillips is already a Councillor in NSW
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■ Darebin Council has voted to conclude its shared micro-mobility trial. “The trial provided valuable insights into how shared e-bikes and e-scooters were used in Darebin and helped us to understand the opportunities and challenges of shared micromobility,” said a Council representative. “Data collected during the trial, together with community feedback, helped inform Council's decision to end the shared micromobility service in Darebin. “The findings will play a key role in future service consideration in Darebin and will be considered as part of the Integrated Transport Strategy development. This way, we can decide on micromobility’s role alongside all transport modes in Darebin,” the Council representative said.
he Victorian Electoral Commission has removed former Eltham MLA Wayne Phillips from the list of candidates for the Beale Ward byelection in Banyule. The twist came after the VEC discovered that Phillips is already serving as a Councillor until September 2028 in the New South Wales municipality of Cobar, approximately 800-km away from the City of Banyule. VEC guidelines specifically prohibit Banyule by-election candidates from being a Councillor elsewhere, including interstate. Candidates are required to sign a declaration that they do not hold such a municipal position elsewhere. The Local Government Act Section 34 (2) (c) provides that a person is not qualified to be a Councillor of a Council if a person “is a Councillor of another Council constituted under the Act or a member of a corresponding body (however designated) under an Act of another State or a Territory of the Commonwealth”.a me Cr Phillips is a former Liberal Party MLA for Eltham, and previously held the position of Shire President of Diamond Valley. He was also a Beale Ward Councillor, before being defeated by Elizabeth Nealy.
8-hour drive
Ms Nealy resigned as a Banyule Councillor on July 3, and has become the Labor Party’s candidate for Mill Park, in a hope to succeed local MP Lily D’Ambrosio. The Cobar Shire website shows Phillips as a Councillor of that municipality, and lists his address as 9922 Mulya Road, Cobar NSW 2835. Cobar is more than eight-hour drive away from Melbourne’s northern suburbs. Cobar Shire minutes note that Cr Phillips applied at its July 23 meeting for leave. He did not attend that meeting. The candidates for the Banyule Beale Ward seat are now to be: ■ Hill, Kevan ■ Taylor, Fleur ■ Landers, Kate ■ Rooks, Niclola ■ Barra, Renato ■ Farrell, Logan ■ Sandars, Lauren Maureen Gee, Election Manager for Beake Ward, issued a bulletin on Thursday (Aug. 27) to candidates: “Candidate Wayne Phillips has been retired from the by-election as he was not eligible to
● Cobar is a 807-km drive away. be a candidate in accordance with the Local Bovernment Act 2020 (Vic.). “We have removed Wayne Phillips’s name from the ballot papers being prepafred for the by-election in accordance with the Local Government (Electoral) Regulations 2020 (Vic.) “Public notice of the retirement will also be published on the relevant election page of the VEC website.
Name removed
“The ballot paper that will be included in the ballot pack mailed to voters in Beale Ward will not include the name of the retired candidate.” Nominations closed on Tuesday last week (August 25). The mail-out of the ballot pack will begin on Monday, September 14. Voting will close at 6pm on Friday, October 2. “Post or hand deliver your completed ballot pack by the deadline to make your vote count,” Ms Gee said. “Our advice is not to leave it until the last minute,” Ms Gee said.
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