Victorian local government elections are on in October, and the northern suburbs of Melbourne—Darebin and Merri Bek (formerly Moreland)—are a contest between Labor and the Greens. On Wednesday night, Labor officially launched its Darebin candidates.
Among them were several Greek candidates, North Macedonian candidates (one fluent in Greek), a Turkish candidate and local (Irish-Anglo) Aussie candidates. Regardless of their diverse heritages and life-experiences they all sung the same refrain about getting council “back to basics” and ensuring “residents’ voices are heard”.
The federal member for Cooper, Ged Kearney, was at the launch to lend her support of the candidates. “The people of Darebin are tired. They are tired of not having their roads looked after, of not having their rates looked after, of not having their rubbish [not being] collected—all the basic core work that council should do,” Kearney told the approximately 100 attendees.
She said it would be “great to be a local federal or state member” – Kat Theophanous is the state member for the marginal Northcote – and have “Labor in council”.
Asked about the candidates by Neos Kosmos, Kearney said they “are committed to the community they want to get back to basics”. “These candidates understand their communities so well, and they will deliver for them,” said Kearney.
The member for Cooper said that “people are talking” to her “about roads, pathways, parking, rubbish, rates”.
“They want the council to look after the parks and the communities”
Local issues locals have raised with her include “childcare” and “sporting clubs”.
Greens-dominated Darebin Council has its power base in the gentrified inner-north of the council area – often according to the candidates, at the expense of its northern reaches like Reservoir and traditional immigrant communities.
“Our multicultural communities love their soccer; they love their sport and do not feel they are getting what they deserve.”
The large ethnic communities in the north comprise Italian, Greek, North Macedonian, Turkish, Arabic, Vietnamese, and, more recently, South Asian, and African. The Greens have been accused by Labor (federally), of weaponizing the war between Israel and Hamas, to garner support from what are primarily young educated middle-class voters and professionals gentrifying the area.
In contrast, Labor indicts the Greens with ignoring traditional residents and their needs. Councillor Emily Dimitriadis for the Southeast ward is also running again.
The long-term Darebin resident, pharmacist, human rights lawyer, and mother told Neos Kosmos that the council is no longer “concerned about what people want and the residents are not being heard”.
“Residents want to see the Reservoir Leisure Centre rebuilt and footpaths amended and looked after.
“The people of Darebin are concerned about real things, things that matter to them at a local level – roads, safety, parks, sporting facilities, childcare, and aged care.
“Local government should be about getting the basics right; from that, we can do more.
“If we can’t get the basics right, I think that’s a problem,” Dimitriadis said.
Neos Kosmos asked the Councillor if she believed the Greens were ignoring multicultural communities, and while Dimitriadis refrained from attacking, and she said that from her “experience, a lot of the multicultural communities are being left behind.”
“Darebin’s make-up is a multicultural one. We need to be heard; our voices are not being heard by those in the council now.”
Vasilios Tsalkos, a 31-year-old third-generation Greek Australian who attended St John’s Orthodox College, is also running as a Labor candidate for the first time. The business studies graduate is running for the North of Darebin which includes the fast-growing yet, and his view much neglected Reservoir.
“The North of Darebin needs a strong voice in council”, Tsalkos told Neos Kosmos.
“Council needs someone to represent its residents, and that’s currently lacking in council.”
Tsalkos pointed to neglect of sporting facilities outside the Greens’ stronghold of Northcote. “Our sporting grounds need to be improved. We have Reservoir Leisure Centre, which requires significant improvement. We’ve got to get back to basics.
“I think the council focuses on certain areas only but needs to expand its reach and cater for all areas and all residents.”
Darebin is a council that reflects the demographic changes across Australia’s inner-city areas, once Labor or Liberal fiefdoms. As the campaign unfolds, these candidates seem focused on “getting back to basics” and going out to residents.
Their focus on issues such as pathways, roads, sporting facilities, childcare, and aged care is a pitch to diverse communities’ needs. The election promises to be a fierce political battle over the soul and future of Melbourne’s northern suburbs.
It is a clash between ideological meta issues and fundamental local government functions. The battle lines have been drawn by Australia’s significant inner-city demographic shifts, born of traditional working class and migrant communities, and new gentrifiers.
Neos Kosmos will be reporting on all Greek Australian candidates from across parties running for local elections in Victoria in the upcoming months.
