2023 Perth City Council election explained

Country:Perth
Type:parliamentary
Ongoing:no
Previous Election:2021 Perth City Council election
Previous Year:2021
Next Election:2025 Perth City Council election
Next Year:2025
Election Date:21 October 2023
Turnout:34.51%
Image1:Basil Zempilas.jpg
Party1:Independent politician
Popular Vote1:3,264
Percentage1:56.50%
Swing1: 27.06
Party2:Independent politician
Popular Vote2:2,108
Percentage2:36.49%
Swing2: 26.92
Image3: IND
Party3:Independent politician
Popular Vote3:405
Percentage3:7.01%
Swing3: 7.01
Lord Mayor
Posttitle:Subsequent Lord Mayor
Before Election:Basil Zempilas
Before Party:Independent
After Election:Basil Zempilas
After Party:Independent

The 2023 Perth City Council election was held on was held on 21 October 2023 to elect a lord mayor and 4 councillors to the City of Perth. The election was held as part of the statewide local elections in Western Australia.

Background

The previous mayoral election was held in October 2020, following the council's suspension by the Western Australian state government in 2018.[1] Four of the eight councillors elected in 2020 faced another election in 2021, while the remaining four had their terms expire in 2023.[2]

Three candidates contended the position of Lord Mayor − incumbent Basil Zempilas, councillor Sandy Anghie (who also contested the 2020 election) and Will Leyland.[3]

The campaign was surrounded by claims that Zempilas would join the Western Australian Liberal Party and contest the 2025 state election. On 6 September 2023, Zempilas confirmed he would seek re-election.[3] Anghie campaigned on "serving full time for a full term," and said she did not have ambitions for state or federal politics.[4]

The Greens endorsed one candidate − Isabella Tripp − who also ran in Cowan at the 2022 federal election.[5] [6]

Electoral reform introduced into the state parliament by the McGowan government in February 2023 saw optional preferential voting (used for state and some local elections in New South Wales) introduced, replacing first-past-the-post.[7]

Results

Councillors

Notes and References

  1. Web site: At last, City of Perth to pick new mayor, council in October election . 30 January 2020 . WA Today.
  2. Web site: City of Perth Section 4.13 Other Election - 17 October 2020 . Western Australian Electoral Commission.
  3. Web site: True to his word, Zempilas readies for another tilt at Perth mayoral role . 6 September 2023 . WA Today.
  4. Web site: 'In it for the city': Sandy Anghie running for Perth Lord Mayor . 8 October 2023 . WAMN News.
  5. Web site: Local Government Elections in Western Australia . Greens.
  6. Web site: Cowan (Key Seat) - Federal Election 2022 . ABC News.
  7. Web site: Local Government Elections . Western Australian Electoral Commission . https://web.archive.org/web/20240325121817/https://www.elections.wa.gov.au/elections/local . 25 March 2024 . live . Level 2, 66 Georges Terrace, Perth WA 6000 . Local government elections in WA now use ‘optional preferential voting’, instead of ‘first past the post’ voting. Optional preferential voting is similar to how voting is done in State and Federal elections . Changes to voting in local government elections.