Local Government Act 2020

The Local Government Act 2020 was a significant statute in Victoria, Australia, notable for its impact on the electoral systems of local councils in Victoria. The Act, which the Victorian Government described as the "most ambitious and comprehensive reform of local government in Victoria for 30 years," will see a large number of multi-member wards replaced with single-member wards.

Reviews were undertaken for the number of councillors, number of councillors per ward and the exact boundaries of those wards for 39 of Victoria's 79 councils.

The Act was introduced on 17 June 2019 by the then-Minister for Local Government, Adem Somyurek. It passed parliament on 17 March 2020, and received Royal Assent days later on 24 March.

The Act has been criticised for its banning of proportional representation for most councils, and the consequential likely negative impact on the ability for women and minority groups to be elected.

Councils affected
All metropolitan councils with multi-member wards were affected by the changes. Rural councils have the options of being unsubdivided, or having equal-sized multi-member wards. The City of Melbourne, which is unsubdivided and does not have wards, was not impacted.

Although most changes are set to come into effect before the 2024 local elections, eight councils moved to single-member wards ahead of the 2020 local elections:


 * Bayside City Council
 * Cardinia Shire Council
 * Darebin City Council
 * Greater Dandenong City Council
 * Kingston City Council
 * Manningham City Council
 * Maroondah City Council
 * Whitehorse City Council

Additionally, Swan Hill and Mansfield moved to an unsubdivided structure.