Mayor & councillors
Golden Plains has 7 councillors, all elected across the whole shire — there are no wards. They were elected in October 2024 for the 2024–2028 term; two seats have since been filled by VEC countbacks. Voters don't elect the Mayor directly: the councillors choose one of themselves. Cr Owen Sharkey became Mayor in May 2025 and was re-elected for 2025/26 on 11 November 2025. The next mayoral election is at the council meeting of Tuesday 10 November 2026.
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 Owen SharkeyRe-elected by the councillors on 11 November 2025 for 2025/26, his second term as Mayor after his appointment in May 2025. The council says he was also Mayor in 2018/19 and 2019/20.
- Deputy Mayor
- Cr Emma RobbinsElected at the same meeting, 11 November 2025, for 2025/26.
- Councillors
- 7, elected shire-wideMatches the Victorian Electoral Commission's list of current councillors (checked September 2026).
- Changes since the 2024 election
- Two countbacksCr Lachlan Glen's seat (vacant from 8 December 2024) went to Gavin Gamble at a countback on 13 January 2025. Cr Brett Cunningham resigned on 6 May 2025; his seat went to Dom Cook at a countback in June 2025.VEC countbacks →
Your representatives
Owen Sharkey
Mayor / Councillor
Emma Robbins
Deputy Mayor / Councillor
Sarah Hayden
Councillor
Des Phelan
Councillor
Gavin Gamble
Councillor
Helena Kirby
Councillor
Dom Cook
Councillor
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 the council email addresses from the council's councillors page (read from an archived copy of March 2026), and link to the election results. The Mayor and Deputy Mayor match the state's September 2026 council contacts list. The VEC's result page gives 11 June 2025 as the date of the second countback; its timeline lists 13 June. In an unsubdivided council like Golden Plains, a vacancy is filled by a VEC countback of the 2024 votes, not a by-election. For the latest list, see the council's page or the VEC.
Sources — check it yourself
- Golden Plains Shire Council — My Councillors (read from an archived copy) · Mar 2026
- Victorian Electoral Commission — Golden Plains Shire Council (current councillors) · Sep 2026
- Golden Plains Shire Council — Cr Sharkey re-elected as Golden Plains Shire Mayor (12 Nov 2025) (read from an archived copy) · Nov 2025
- Golden Plains Shire Council — Council Meetings Hub (2026 meeting dates, mayoral election 10 Nov 2026) · Sep 2026
- Golden Plains Shire Council — Councillor Brett Cunningham: resignation from Council (6 May 2025) (read from an archived copy) · May 2025
- Victorian Electoral Commission — Golden Plains countback, 13 January 2025 · Jan 2025
- Victorian Electoral Commission — Golden Plains countback, June 2025 · Jun 2025
- Victorian Government — Local government contacts and information (council contacts list) · Sep 2026
- Victorian Electoral Commission — 2024 Golden Plains Shire Council election results · Nov 2024
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.