Mayor & councillors
East Gippsland has no wards: its 9 councillors each represent the whole shire. They were elected in October 2024 for the 2024–2028 term. Voters don't elect the Mayor directly: the councillors choose one of themselves. In November 2025 they set a one-year term for the Mayor.
New to these terms? Read them in plain English
- How the mayor is chosen
- Either elected directly by voters, or chosen by the councillors.
- Ward
- A subdivision of a council area that elects its own councillors.
- Local Government Area (LGA)
- The official area a council governs.
Who represents you
- Mayor
- Cr Jodie AshworthElected Mayor by the councillors for a one-year term at the Statutory Meeting on Thursday 20 November 2025, with five votes. Cr John White was Mayor for the year before.
- Deputy Mayor
- Cr Tom CrookElected Deputy Mayor for a one-year term at the same meeting. Cr Crook was Mayor in 2023–24.
- Councillors
- 9, all elected in October 2024The council's current councillors page and the VEC list the same nine names (checked Sep 2026).
- Next mayoral election
- Thursday 12 November 2026 (Statutory Meeting)From the council's 2026 meeting schedule. The Mayor and Deputy Mayor were elected at the Statutory Meeting in 2025.Meeting schedule →
- Council meetings
- Usually one Tuesday a month, 6pm, Corporate Centre, 273 Main Street, BairnsdaleAgendas are published the Friday before each meeting, and meetings are streamed on the council's YouTube channel. You can ask a question or request to speak; forms are due by 10am on the day.Agendas and minutes →
Your representatives
Jodie Ashworth
Mayor / Councillor · Whole shire (unsubdivided)
Tom Crook
Deputy Mayor / Councillor · Whole shire (unsubdivided)
Arthur Allen
Councillor · Whole shire (unsubdivided)
Sonia Buckley
Councillor · Whole shire (unsubdivided)
Barry Davis
Councillor · Whole shire (unsubdivided)
Joanne Eastman
Councillor · Whole shire (unsubdivided)
Bernie Farquhar
Councillor · Whole shire (unsubdivided)
Ian Trevaskis
Councillor · Whole shire (unsubdivided)
John White
Councillor · Whole shire (unsubdivided)
Want to raise something? Contacting your ward councillor or the mayor is one of the most direct ways to be heard between elections.
Victorian council ballot papers and results don't show party affiliation, so we don't label councillors. We list who holds office, with their council email addresses and official profiles, and link to the election results. For general questions, the council's address is feedback@egipps.vic.gov.au. Because East Gippsland has no wards and elects its councillors by proportional representation, a vacancy is normally filled by a countback of the 2024 votes, run by the VEC, not by a by-election. For the latest list, see the council's page or the VEC.
Sources — check it yourself
- East Gippsland Shire Council — Current Councillors · Sep 2026
- Victorian Electoral Commission — East Gippsland Shire Council (current councillors) · Sep 2026
- East Gippsland Shire Council — Statutory Meeting minutes, 20 November 2025 (PDF) · Nov 2025
- East Gippsland Shire Council — Jodie Ashworth new East Gippsland Mayor (24 Nov 2025) · Nov 2025
- East Gippsland Shire Council — Mayor and Deputy Mayor Honour Roll · Sep 2026
- East Gippsland Shire Council — Council Meeting Information (2026 meeting schedule) · Sep 2026
- East Gippsland Shire Council — Meeting Minutes and Agendas · Sep 2026
- Victorian Electoral Commission — 2024 East Gippsland Shire Council election results · Nov 2024
- Victorian Electoral Commission — Council countbacks and by-elections · Sep 2026
Figures are current as at the dates shown and may change — always confirm with the linked source. See the notice at the bottom of the page for full details and how to report a correction.