COUNCIL ELECTION | Provisional results released for Greater Shepparton

By Tyler Maher

Nov 8, 2024

Greater Shepparton City Council election results. Photo by Rodney Braithwaite

Two elected unopposed, two through on primary votes and five securing seats through preference voting.

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No, it’s not a remake of The Twelve Days of Christmas - and there’s no partridge in a pear tree - it’s the landscape of the new Greater Shepparton City Council and how each member won their spot on it through the election race in their respective wards.

While still provisional until an official declaration next week, the results have been publicly released.

As described for a number of weeks now, Rod Schubert and Sam Spinks will represent the Midland and Poplar wards respectively after standing alone in the election race for each seat.

Sitting Mayor Shane Sali has been returned to council with a primary (first preference) vote of 74.95 per cent in the Balaclava Ward, while Steven Threlfall claimed victory in the two-candidate race of the McEwen Ward by snaring 58.92 per cent of the vote.

The remaining five ward counts all went to further preference voting.

Kieron Eddy needed only second preferences to reach a majority in the Lower Goulburn Ward, ending up on 2040 votes (out of 3757) once Garry Alexander’s 568 votes were redistributed.

Dinny Adem reached 1051 votes and Santhiya Subramanium 666 after the redistribution.

Pine Lodge Ward was also declared after second preference count, with Geoff Akers finishing on 2368 votes out of 4473, following the redistribution of Phillip Chua’s 531 votes.

Jac McCarty finished with 1250 votes, from Ian Martin on 855.

The Kialla and Yanha Gurtji and Goulburn River wards went right to the wire.

Anthony Brophy (2370) will be returned to his council seat after winning the Kialla Ward by 218 votes over Terri Cowley (2152).

Mr Brophy led by 149 votes after the primary count, and slightly more of the preference flows from both Brendan Gosstray and Kamal Dhillon broke his way out of the total 4522 votes cast in the ward.

Just 114 votes separated Fern Summer (1788) from Tom Saxton (1674) in the Yanha Gurtji Ward, with Leigh Johnson’s second preferences heading mostly in the latter’s direction after the primary vote.

The race to be elected in the Goulburn River Ward was even tighter.

Even with six candidates in the field, preference counting went all the way through until Paul Wickham (2015) took victory by a margin of just 59 votes over Emmersyn Rea (1956) - less than the number of informal votes (74) cast in the ward.

After the preferences of Rowan Farren, Severin Duhring and Simon Wyatt were distributed, Mr Wickham led the count by 244 votes, with Sherri Smith-Hoyer in third.

But the latter’s preferences then broke significantly in Ms Rea’s favour (639-454) to bring the count to its thrilling finish.

A full assessment of the voting across the election - including of some significantly low voter turnout and high informal vote rates in a number of wards - will be published once results are officially declared.