More than 180 councillors who made it to parliament

Lyn Allison: the former Democrat leader and Victorian Senator from 1996 to 2008 was also a councillor in Port Melbourne from 1992-1994 when Jeff Kennett sacked all 210 Victorian councils.

Neil Andrew: the former member for Wakefield in SA form 1983 to 2004. He was Speaker of the House of Representatives from 1998 to 2004 and previously was the Chief Government Whip from 1997 to 1998. He served on the Waikerie council from 1976 to 1983.

John Aquilina: the former Leader of the House in the Legislative Assembly and Parliamentary Secretary to the Premier in NSW, was elected Mayor of Blacktown at the age of 27. After 4 years as Mayor he was elected as the Member for Blacktown in 1981.

Lidia Argondizzo: the former ALP member of the Victorian Legislative Council representing Templestowe Province from 2002 to 2006, was elected as a councillor in the City of Northcote in 1987. In 1989 she was elected mayor of the City of Northcote and continued as a councillor until 1993.

Alan Ashton: a former Bankstown City Councillor from 1977-1983 and 1987-1995 where he was Deputy Mayor for 3 years. Alan was elected as Member for East Hills in 1999 and was appointed Labor's Deputy Whip in 2003 before losing his seat to the Liberals in the 2011 landslide.

Bruce Atkinson: he was a councillor of the City of Nunawading for 17 years, including 2 terms as Mayor 1981-1982 and 1990-1991, prior to his election as a Liberal Member to Victoria's upper house in 1992 where he served until 2022.

Greg Barber: he was elected to the City of Yarra in 2002, and from 2003-2004 was Mayor, an Australian-first for the Greens. Served as the Greens representative in the Northern Metropolitan upper house region in the Victorian Parliament from 2006 until he resigned suddenly in 2017, being replaced by Samantha Ratnam, who was then a serving Greens Cr at City of Moreland and has pretty much led the Victorian Greens ever since.

Donna Bauer: a former deputy mayor of the City of Kingston who spent 4 years as the Liberal MP for the marginal Victorian seat of Carrum between 2010 and 2014.

Bill Baxter: was elected to the Nathalia Shire Council in 1970 and in 1973 he was elected as a Nationals MP for the safe Legislative Assembly seat of Murray Valley. He served as Minister for Roads and Ports in the Kennett government and did 28 years in Parliament from 1978 until 2006.

Denver Beanland: was Deputy Mayor of Brisbane City Council before winning the Queensland state seat of Toowong in 1986 for the Liberal Party. He then moved on to the seat of Indooroopilly which he held until 2001.

Lex Bell: Independent MP for Surfers Paradise from 2001-2004 and served on the Gold Coast City Council for 16 years from 1985–2001, including an extended period as mayor from 1988 until 1994.

Jade Benham: the Swan Hill councillor since 2019 and incumbent mayor has just retaken the Victorian state seat of Mildura for the Nationals at the 2022 state election after it was held by former Mildura Cr Ali Cupper as an independent since 2018.

Tommy Bent: after whom Bentleigh is named, was a crooked mayor of Moorabbin and Premier of Victoria at the same time. A property developer, he also served 9 terms as mayor of Brighton.

Craig Bildstein: a Liberal Party member of the Legislative Assembly, he represented Mildura from 1988 to 1996 when he was defeated by Russell Savage. A former journalist, which included a position as chief political writer for the now defunct The News, he was also a Mildura City Councillor from 1986-1987.

Peter Black: went from long-serving mayor of Broken Hill to be NSW Labor's big drinking member for Murray Darling from 1999 to 2007.

Gary Blackwood: Liberal Party Member was elected to the seat of Narracan in the Legislative Assembly in 2006. Prior to this he was a councillor on the Baw Baw Shire Council from 2002.

Chris Bowen: served 9 years on Fairfield Council from 1995 until 2004 and served two terms as mayor in 1998 and 1999. Won the Federal NSW of Prospect for Labor in 2004 and has served in senior roles ever since.

Lionel Bowen: he was several times Mayor of Randwick before moving on to be Federal MP for Kingsford-Smith. He served in the Whitlam cabinet and then became Bob Hawke's deputy from 1983 until 1990.

Colin Brooks: had a stint on Banyule Council after the return to Local Govt in Victoria in the 1990s and has been the Labor state MP for Bundoora since 2006.

Helen Buckingham: served as Mayor of Whitehorse in Melbourne's east from 1998-99, she became a state upper house member for Labor in Victoria from 2002 until 2006, but then departed when the new voting system was introduced.

Jeremy Buckingham: served two terms on the City of Orange in regional NSW and then just pipped Pauline Hanson to win a NSW upper house seat for the Greens in 2011. Resigned from the Greens in 2018 and then won another term in 2019 as an independent.

Cameron Caldwell: spent a decade on Gold Coast city council and in 2023 won the Fadden by-election when Stuart Robert quit the Federal Parliament.

Paul Calvert: from 1976-1988 he was a councillor in Clarence, Tasmania, which included a stint as Mayor from 1983-1987. In 1987 he was elected to the Australian Senate as a Liberal, a role he served until resigning in 2007. Regarded as a solid Senate President during the Howard years.

David Campbell: he was an Alderman on the Council of the City of Wollongong from 1987-1999, including a stint as Lord Mayor from 1991 to 1999. He was elected as Labor's Member for Keira in March 1999, served as Police Minister and Transport Minister before retiring in 2011.

Anthony Carbines: former councillor at the City of Banyule (Olympia Ward) and has been the sitting Labor MP for Ivanhoe since 2010.

John Carey: the former mayor of the City of Vincent in Perth, he went on to become the Labor member for Perth in the WA Parliament since 2017 where he served as local government Minister.

Bruce Chamberlain: he was a councillor for 4 years with Hamilton City Council before entering the Victorian Parliament as a Liberal in 1972. Served as a speaker during the Kennett years.

Robin Chapple: A Greens WA MLC for 15 years in the Legislative Council (Mining and Pastoral Region). First elected in 2001, defeated once and then retired at 2021 election. Also served as a town councillor on the Port Hedland council for seven years from 1986 to 1993. Originally from England, he rose up politically through the anti-nuclear movement.

Stephen Chaytor: he was a sitting Campbelltown councillor when he became the Labor MP for Macquarie Fields in a by-election in 2005. In 2006 he was suspended as a Labor candidate for allegedly assaulting his girlfriend (later overturned in court) and left the Parliament at the 2006 election but remained on Campbelltown council until retiring 2008.

Vini Ciccarello: a mayor of Norwood in South Australia for seven years, the Labor Party member first won the seat of Norwood in 1997 but has now retired.

Peter Cleeland: the policeman turned lawyer served on the Shire of Diamond Valley from 1978 until 1985, including a stint as Shire President, then contested the state seat of Doncaster for Labor before winning the Federal seat of McEwen in 1990, losing it to Fran Bailey in 1990 and then returning for one final term from 1993 until 1996 when he was swept out in the Howard landslide.

Ken Coghill: Labor state member for Werribee in Victorian Parliament from 1979 until 1996 and served on Wodonga City Council from 1972-77. Was Joan Kirner's last speaker.

Richard Colbeck: an Alderman for the Devonport City Council from 1999-2002, he became a Liberal member of the Australian Senate in February 2002 but was defeated in 2016 after losing a factional battle with Eric Abetz.

Leo Connellan: was President of Balranald Shire from 1959 until 1975, doubling up with his time as a Country Party member of NSW Legislative Council from 1969 until 1981. Also had 8 kids.

Stephen Conroy: started out serving on Footscray City Council and then served in the Senate from 1996 until retiring in 2016.

Robin Cooper: In 1972 he was elected to Mornington Shire Council and was President in 1980. In 1985 was elected to the Victorian Legislative Assembly as the Liberal member for Mornington and was appointed a parliamentary secretary in 1996 in the Kennett Government. He retired from parliament at the 2006 state election.

Katherine Copsey: served 6 years as an endorsed Green at City of Port Phillip and then won a seat for the Greens at the 2022 Victorian election serving in the upper house in the Southern Metropolitan region.

Peter Crisp: formally a Wentworth Shire Councillor in NSW and since 2006 has been a member of the Legislative Assembly for Mildura and a member of The Nationals.

Janice Crosio: an Alderman with Fairfield City Council 1971-1980, where she was deputy Mayor 1972 and became the first female Mayor from 1974-1975 and again from 1977-1980. Served as Labor's Member for Prospect in the NSW Parliament from 1990 until October 2004.

Michael Crutchfield: elected a councillor in Geelong after Kennett's commissions finished their business in 1995 and was mayor in 2000-01. Represented Labor in the Victorian state seat of South Barwon from 2002 until 2010.

Nita Cunningham: Labor Member for Bundaberg in the Queensland Parliament who was Mayor of Bundaberg City Council from 1991 until 1998.

Ali Cupper: served on Mildura City Council for 5 years until was elected an as independent for the state seat of Mildura in 2018, before being defeated by the Nationals in 2022. Ran as Labor's candidate in Mildura in 2010 and as independent when serving on council in both 2014 and 2018.

Michael Daley: The Labor MP for Maroubra since 2005 spent 13 years on Randwick City Council, including 4 years as deputy mayor. Currently deputy opposition leader.

Gabrielle de Viettri: elected as an endorsed Green to City of Yarra in 2020 and was mayor in her first year then took the seat of Richmond off Labor at the 2022 state election.

Milton Dick: former Councillor for Richlands Ward, Brisbane City Council, from 2008 until 2016 when he switched to Federal Parliament as the Labor member for Oxley. Speaker of the house in the Albanese Government.

Steve Dimopoulos: a former mayor of the City of Monash who since 2014 has been the Labor MP for the state seat of Oakleigh.

John D'Orazio: served on the Bayswater Council in WA from 1981 until 2001 and then served as the member for Ballajura in the Western Australian Legislative Assembly from 10 February 2001 to 6 September 2008, but was mired in controversy.

Samantha Dunn: Greens councillor in Yarra Ranges who then won a Victorian upper house seat in the Eastern Metropolitan region in 2014, but was defeated by the Druery preference harvesting system in 2018.

Alan Eggleston: has been a Liberal member of the Senate since July 1996, representing WA, and was on Port Hedland council from 1988-96 and as Mayor from 1993-1996.

Graham Edwards: represented Labor in the Federal seat of Cowan from 1998 until 2007. A Vietnam veteran who lost both legs in action, he was first elected to council in WA's City of Stirling in 1981.

Nazih Elasmar: elected one of Labor's Victorian Legislative Council members for the safe Northern Metropolitan Region in the 2006 election and was previously mayor of the City of Darebin in 1997.

Enver Erdogan: the former City of Moreland Cr was parachuted into the Victorian upper house in 2019 in a factional deal after Philip Dalidakis resigned, then was re-elected in 2022 and went straight into Cabinet.

David Evans: Oxley Shire councillor from 1967-76 then Liberal upper house member for North Eastern from 1976 until 1996, then served as one of Kennett's commissioners in Capapse in 1997-98 and elected to City of Wangaratta for one last term from 1998-2000.

Martyn Evans: a Federal Labor MP in the South Australian seat of Bonython from 1994 until 2004, he was a member of the Elizabeth City Council from 1975-1984 and served as Mayor from 1981-1984.

Dawn Fardell: was elected to Dubbo City Council in 1999 and served until 2005. Was the independent NSW state member for Dubbo in the Legislative Assembly from 2004 until 2011.

Steve Fielding: elected to Knox City Council in 2003 and then in 2004 rode a series of flukey preference deals to become Family First's Victorian Senator but was defeated in 2010.

Janie Finlay (nee Dickenson): was mayor of Launceston at the age of 27 after first being elected two years earlier in 2000. It took 21 years to make the leap but in 2021 she was elected to represent Labor in the Tasmanian state seat of Bass.

Joel Fitzgibbon: he was a member of the Cessnock City Council from 1987-1995 and became the Federal member for Cessnock (replacing his father) in 1996, a seat he has held for 20 years.

John Forrest: Federal National Party member for Mallee in Victoria from 1993 until 2013 and before that spent 3 years as a member of Swan Hill council.

Robert Furolo: the NSW Member for Lakemba since 2008. He was first elected to Canterbury Council in 1999 and had been the popularly elected mayor since 2004. He was re-elected Mayor in 2008, and since October 2008 he has been a Labor Party member of the representing the electorate of Lakemba.

Geoff Gallop: a Rhodes Scholar and City Councillor at Fremantle from 1983-1986. In 2001 he led the Labor Party to victory and became Premier of WA, which lasted 2 terms before resigning in 2006 because of health issues.

Joanna Gash: a lower house Liberal member since 1996, representing the Division of Gilmore in NSW, and a former Sunday school teacher. Gash was also an Alderman with the Wingecarribee Shire Council.

John Goss: Alderman in Brisbane City Council from 1982-1989, he then became member for Aspley in the Queensland Parliament from 1989-2001.

Judith Graley: Labor Member for Narre Warren South (2006–18) in the Victorian Parliament. Councillor at Mornington Peninsula Shire Council (1997–2003).

Brian Greig: a former Democrat Senator for Western Australia from 1999-2005, he served as a councillor for the WA town of Vincent from 1995-1999.

Alan Griffin: a member of Springvale City Council from 1991-1993, he then became a Labor Party MP in March 1993 for the seat of Corinella before switching to the Federal seat of Bruce in 1996 until retiring in 2016.

Luba Grigorovich: elected to City of Hobsons Bay at the 2008 election and then resigned half way through her second term in January 2014 to focus on her job at the Rail Tram and Bus Union and then was elected as the new Labor MP for the state seat of Kororoit at the 2022 Victorian election.

Jill Hall: Councillor of Lake Macquarie City Council from 1991-95 which included a stint as deputy Mayor in 1993-94. She held the Federal seat of Shortland from 1998 until retiring in 2016.

Shelley Hancock: served on Shoalhaven City Council for 16 years, during which, she was elected as Deputy Mayor from 2000-2001. Hancock has represented the South Coast for the Liberals since 2003 and been speaker since 2011.

Pauline Hanson: the former fish and chip shop owner, Liberal party member and One Nation leader began her move into parliament in 1996 following a stint as a councillor for the City of Ipswich. Elected to a 6 year term in the Senate in 2016 and then re-elected in 2022.

Colleen Hartland: she previously worked as a cook in Parliament during the Cain/Kirner years. Elected as Councillor for Sheok Ward in the Maribyrnong City Council in 2003, and served until 2005. She won a seat for the Greens in the Western Metropolitan Region in the 2006 State election and then retired in 2018.

Bill Heffernan: a Liberal Senator for New South Wales since from 1996 until 2016, he served on the Junee Shire Council from 1981-1996. He also was the President of the Liberal Party of NSW from 1993-96.

Vin Heffernan: long serving councillor at the City of Heidelberg (1966–1984), then Liberal MP for Ivanhoe (1985-1996), until defeated by Craig Langdon in 1996.

Thomas Herzfeld: elected as a representative in local government for Mundaring in WA, he was later elected, representing the Liberals, to the West Australian State Parliament in 1977 and served two terms until an election loss in 1983.

Sam Hibbins: Greens councillor at the City of Stonnington from 2012 until 2014 when was elected to the Victorian Parliament after winning the seat of Prahran off the Liberals and has held it ever since.

Howard Hobbs: Nationals MP for Warrego in south west Queensland from 1986 until 2015, he was a councillor from 1975-1980 and chairman of Tambo Shire Council from 1980-87.

Ron Hoenig: spent 30 years as mayor of Botany until 2012 and is now the Labor MP for the state seat of Heffron.

Kay Hull: alderman in Wagga Wagga City Council from 1991-1998 included a stint as Deputy Mayor from 1995-1998. She was first elected to the House of Representatives for Riverina in 1998 and retired in 2010.

John Hyde: went from a journalist at The West to Mayor of Perth's Vincent council to state member in the Western Australian Legislative Assembly. He was elected to the seat in 2001 but then defeated in 2013.

John Hyde: he was a councillor and deputy-President of the Shire of Dalwallinu and then won the federal seat of Moore in 1974, holding it until he was defeated in 1983.

Harry Jenkins: a councillor for Whittlesea Shire Council from 1979-1986, which included a stint as President from 1984-1985. He was the Federal Labor member for Scullin from 1986 until retiring in 2013. A good speaker who was shafted by Julia Gillard.

Virginia Judge: was elected to Strathfield Council in 1995 and served until 2004 which included a stint as Mayor from 2001-2003. She was the state Labor MP for Strathfield in the NSW Parliament from 2003 until the landslide defeat of 2011.

Marlene Kairouz: previously was a councillor for the City of Darebin, from 1998-2008 which included two stints as Mayor from 2001-02 and from 2006-07. She won the state seat of Kororoit in a 2008 by-election and was then disendorsed over Adem Somyurek branch stacking allegations and left Parliament at the 2022 state election.

Jennifer Kanis: first elected to City of Melbourne in 2008 then won a by-election for Labor to take the state seat of Melbourne in 2012 before being defeated by Greens candidate Ellen Sandell in 2014.

Peter King: a Rhodes Scholar, he was a member of the Woollahra Municipal Council and was Mayor from 1990-1991. He was a Liberal Party member from 2001 to 2004, representing the seat of Wentworth, New South Wales. In 2003 he was challenged for his Liberal endorsement in Wentworth by Malcolm Turnbull, which he subsequently lost. In response he ran as an independent in the 2004 election and received 18% of the primary vote. He was then banned from the Liberal Party for ten years for running against a preselected Liberal party member.

Carl Kirkwood: he was a Preston city councillor from 1963-1974 which included a stint as mayor from 1968-1969. The Labor party member represented Preston, Victoria from May 1970 until August 1988.

Steve Kons: served as Mayor of Burnie from 1997 to 1999 and as a Labor member with the Tasmanian House of Assembly in the electorate of Braddon. He was Deputy Premier of Tasmania from 2006-2008 and is now back serving a fourth straight term at City of Burnie.

Lynne Kosky: elected to the City of Footscray council in 1986 and went on to become Mayor in 1988. Represented the state seat of Altona from 1996 until 2010 and was an effective senior Minister during the Bracks-Brumby years.

Craig Langdon: councillor City of Heidelberg (1988 – 1994), then Labor MP for Ivanhoe (1996 -2010), until beaten in pre-selection battle by Anthony Carbines before returning to serve on Banyule council in 2012 and rising again to be mayor before was defeated at the 2020 local government elections.

Mark Latham: in 1987 he was elected to the City Council of Liverpool, in Sydney which included a stint as mayor from 1991 to 1994. He went on to become the Labor leader and Leader of the Opposition from December 2003 to January 2005 when he retired following his 2004 election defeat citing life-threatening illness and family concerns. Later returned to the NSW upper house representing One Nation at the 2019 NSW elections.

Jerome Laxale: served at the City of Ryde since 2012, including multiple terms as mayor and after multiple unsuccessful runs at State Parliament, won the Federal seat of Bennelong for Labor at the 2022 Federal election.

Dai Le: the former Liberal councillor and deputy mayor at City of Fairfield then took the Federal seat of Fowler from Federal Labor at the 2022 election when they tried to parachute in Kristina Keneally. Served 10 years at Fairfield where she was expelled as a Liberal member for running against an endorsed candidate.

Michael Leighton: was a councillor in the Ivanhoe Ward for the City of Heidelberg from 1980-1982. In 1988, he was elected to the Victorian Legislative Assembly as the Labor member for Preston until his retirement in 2006.

Ted Lindsay: was an alderman with the Townsville City Council before a stint in federal parliament from 1983-1996, in the seat of Herbert representing Labor.

Peter Lockwood: he served on Knox City Council from 1993–94 and 2000–2003. He was a Labor Party member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly from 2002 to 2006 and then returned to Knox in 2012 before being defeated at the 2020 council elections. Has a comprehensive Wikipedia page.

Hurtle Lupton: a councillor for the City of Knox from 1973-1993 including three stints as Mayor from 1979-80, 1981-82, and 1989-90. A member of the Liberal Party he represented Knox from 1992-2002.

Trung Luu: the Victorian Policeman, veteran and Vietnamese refugee stepped off City of Brimbank after two years because he was elected as the second Liberal in the Western Metro upper house region at the 2022 state election.

Ian Macdonald: a former Queensland Liberal member of the Senate from July 1990 until June 2019. He was also a Councillor in the Burdekin Shire Council from 1979-90.

Ted Mack: referred to as the "father of the independents" he was Mayor of North Sydney from 1980-1988, and held the seat of North Shore as an independent from 1981-1988. He then spent 2 years out of the game only to return and win the federal seat of North Sydney in 1990.

Alannah MacTiernan: one of the few who has served at all 3 levels of government. Her council experience was initially at City of Perth from 1986 until 1992 when she was working as a lawyer and she then served in the WA State Parliament from 1993 until 2010 in both houses and was well known as a successful Planning and Infrastructure Minister who contested the Labor leadership in 2008. Resigned in 2010 to go Federal in the seat of Canning but lost so she returned to local govt spending two years as Mayor of the City of Vincent. Won the Federal seat of Perth in 2013, before retiring at the 2016 election. Returned to the WA Parliament in 2017 in the upper house representing North Metropolitan and served as a Minister, then switched to South West Region at the 2021 election. Plans to retire in 2023. A great effort from a girl who grew up in West Heidelberg. Including 4 different seats across both houses of the WA Parliament, all up that comes to a record 7 different political seats held over a 30 year political career across 3 levels of government.

Judy Maddigan: former mayor of Moonee Valley to speaker of the Legislative Assembly for the Bracks Government in Victoria from 2003-2005. Held the state seat of Essendon from 1996 until 2010.

Terry Martin: first elected to council in 1985, he became Mayor of the City of Glenorchy, Tasmania from 1990-2005, partially overlapping with his time in State Parliament. In 2004 he became the Labor Member for Elwick in the Tasmanian Legislative Council but retired in 2010 as an independent after significant health and legal issues.

Kristy McBain: first elected in 2012 and became a terrific independent mayor of Bega Shire, particularly during the 2020 bush-fires. This prompted Anthony Albanese to parachute her in as Labor's candidate in the 2020 Eden Monaro by-election which she won against the odds, shoring up Albo's wobbly leadership at the time. Increased her majority at the 2022 Federal election and now serving as Federal local government Minister.

Joe McCracken: elected to the Victorian upper house as the second Liberal in the Western Victoria region in 2022 after serving 6 years on the Colac-Otway Shire. See interesting interview with his alma Mater, St Patricks College in Ballarat.

Graeme McDougall: served on City of Brisbane from 1988 until 1996 and then was the Liberal candidate who defeated Kevin Rudd for the Federal seat of Griffith in John Howard's 1996 landslide before Rudd took it back off him at the 1998 election.

Denise McGill: councillor with the City of Oakleigh from 1987-1994 including a stint as Mayor from 1991-1992. A Liberal member for Oakleigh, Victoria from 1992 until August 1999, who then later returned as a City of Monash councillor.

Leo McLeay: a Labor Party member from 1979 to 2004, first representing the Division of Grayndler, NSW from 1979-1993 and then the Division of Watson, NSW when he was the Speaker of the House of Representatives between 1989-1993. He was also a member of the Marrickville Municipal Council from 1971-1977.

Julian McGauran: the conservative National Party Senator for Victoria once served on Melbourne City Council from 1985-1988. Started as a Nat but sensationally defected to the Liberals in 2007. Ended up serving in the Federal Parliament from 1987 until 2011.

Jan McLucas: was elected as a Cairns City Councillor in 1995, and entered then went on to become a Labor Senator for Queensland in July 1999 before retiring in 2016.

Pat McNamara: the former Victorian deputy Premier and National Party leader held the state seat of Benalla from 1982 until 2000 and before that was a Goulburn Shire councillor from 1974 and Mayor in 1977-78.

Alex McTaggart: was Mayor of Pittwater Council and simultaneously a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly for Pittwater from 2005 - 2007, something which is no longer allowed in Queensland and was never allowed in Victoria.

John McVeigh: a former Toowoomba councillor who went on to sit in both the Queensland and Federal Parliaments, first as the member for South Toowoomba and later as the Federal member for Groom from 2016 until he resigned in 2020.

Alison Megarrity: was a councillor of the City of Liverpool from 1994-99. She then represented the NSW state seat of Menai for the Australian Labor Party from 1999 until the landslide defeat of 2011.

Paul Mercurio: the Strictly Ballroom star and Dancing with the Stars judge was elected to the Shire of Mornington at the 2020 Victorian local government elections and then was quickly recruited by Labor to run in the state seat of Hastings, which he won convincingly at the 2022 state election.

James Merlino: was elected councillor 1997 and re-elected in March 2000 including his role as deputy Mayor from 2001-2002, for the Shire of Yarra Ranges, Billanook Ward. Since 2002 he was the member for Monbulk in the Victorian Legislative Assembly, representing the Labor Party. Served as deputy premier and Education Minister before retiring at the 2022 state election.

Jenny Mikakos: a lawyer who served in the Victorian upper house from 1999 until her retirement in 2021 when she resigned as Health Minister after the hotel quarantine inquiry where Premier Andrews quite ruthlessly through her under the bus. Served briefly as a City of Northcote councillor in 1993-94.

Bruce Mildenhall: first served as a councillor at City of Footscray for 9 years then was the state ALP member for Footscray from 1992 until 2006.

Clover Moore: First won the state seat of Bligh in 1988 and then switched to the seat of Sydney in 2007. Was simultaneously elected Sydney Lord Mayor in 2004 but then left Parliament in 2012 after new legislation made her choose between the two roles. Re-elected Lord Mayor with a record majority in 2016 and still serving to this day.

John Murphy: Federal ALP member for Lowe from 1988 until 2013, he used to be on Drummoyne Council in Sydney's inner west (now called Canada Bay) serving from 1995-1998.

Campbell Newman: served as Lord Mayor of Brisbane from 2004 until 2011 and then ran for Premier from outside Parliament and won in a landslide in 2012 before then losing in 2015 after just one term. Later joined the Liberal Democrats and failed in a run at the Queensland Senate in 2022.

Sang Nguyen: was a Labor Party member of the Victorian Legislative Council from May 1996 until November 2006, representing Melbourne West Province. In 1988, Nguyen was elected to the City of Richmond council and then in 1991 became Mayor. He continued on as a councillor until 1994.

Tim Nicholls: a Brisbane City Councillor for the Hamilton ward from 2000-2006, he moved on to serve the Queensland Liberals in the seat of Clayfield and was Treasurer in the Newman government.

Gavan O'Connor: was a Federal Labor Party member from 1993 to November 2007 representing Corio in Victoria, which included a stint as Shadow Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries. He was also a member of Colac City Council from 1989-1992.

Kim O'Keefe: elected to City of Greater Shepparton in 2016 and was in her fourth term as mayor when she took leave of absence to stand for the Nationals in Shepparton and successfully won the seat back off Independent Suzanna Sheed, who had held it for two terms since 2014.

John Pandazopoulos: he was elected to the City of Berwick Council in 1987, and was Mayor from 1990-1991. In 1992 he was was elected to the Victorian Parliament as Member for Dandenong before retiring in 2014.

Jeannette Patrick: a pioneering female Liberal in Victoria who started out on Brighton council and then beat Peter Reith to win a state lower house seat which she held from 1976 until 1985. Rated Equal Opportunity legislation as her greatest achievement.

Chris Pearce: Federal Liberal member for Aston from July 2001 until 2013 and was previously a councillor with the Knox City Council from 1997-2000.

Paul Pearce: a councillor from 1983-2004 including the role of Mayor of Waverley Municipal Council from 1997-2004. He was the Labor state member for Coogee in the NSW parliament from 2003 until 2011.

Michael Pengilly: the former mayor of Kangaroo Island who in 2006 went on to be the Liberal member for Finniss in the South Australian parliament.

Inga Peulich: spent 3 years on City of Moorabbin until Jeff Kennett sacked all councillors in 1993. Was first a lower house Liberal MP during the Kennett years and now serves in the upper house.

Wayne Phillips: spent 14 years on Diamond Valley council, then served as the Liberal member for Eltham for a decade until 2002 before returning to public office as a City of Banyule councillor since 2005.

Greg Piper: the independent councillor was first elected to Lake Macquarie council in 1991 and served as Deputy Mayor in 1999-2000. He was elected as the State Member for Lake Macquarie in 2007 after actually defeating Labor incumbent Jeff Hunter and served in Parliament with Rob Oakeshot until he resigned in 2009 to contest the Federal Seat of Lyne. Piper remains the independent state member for Lake Macquarie.

Neil Pope: Lilydale Shire Councillor in Victoria 1979-1982 then held the state seat of Monbulk from 1982-92, including a period in Cain-Kirner ministry.

Jane Prentice: was a Brisbane City Councilor from 2000 until 2010 who then held the Federal seat of Ryan for the Liberals from 2010 until 2019 when she lost preselection to her former staffer, Julian Simmonds, who then lost the seat to the Greens in 2022.

Roger Price: Held the Federal seat of Chifley for the ALP from 1984 until 2010 and before that was also an Alderman on Blacktown City Council from 1981 until 1987 where he served as deputy mayor in 1984-1985.

Geoffrey Prosser: he was a Liberal member, representing the Division of Forrest, Western Australia from 1987 until the 2007 election. He was a member of the Bunbury City Council from 1979-1985.

Gary Punch: was an Alderman of Hurstville Municipal Council from 1977-1983 and was elected mayor in 1978 at the ripe old age of 21. He went on to become the Labor Member for Barton in NSW from 1983-1996.

Glenyys Romanes: a former councillor and mayor of Brunswick (1991-94) she returned after amalgamations to be mayor of Moreland from 1996-99 and then went on to be a Labor member of the Legislative Council from 1999 until 2006, during which time was the deputy president of the upper house.

Don Randall: he was a Liberal member representing the Division of Swan, Western Australia, from 1996-1998, and has also represented the Division of Canning, Western Australia, from 2001 until his death in 2015. He was a member of the Belmont City Council from 1993-1996.

Keith Remington: sat on the Doncaster & Templestowe council, now known as Manningham, in the 1960s and 70s before becoming the Labor state member for Melbourne from 1977 until 1988.

Janet Rice: former City of Maribyrnong councillor in Melbourne's western suburbs who then won a Senate seat in 2013 and was returned in the 2016 double dissolution election.

Pauline Richards: was councillor at the City of Whitehorse (2005–07), during which time she was also a political organiser for the Electrical Trades Union. She then worked as an electorate officer for federal MPs. In 2014, she unsuccessfully ran for the Victorian Parliament and took a role as an advisor to the Minister for Health. Elected as the Labor state member for Cranbourne in 2018.

Michelle Rowland: the Federal Communications Minister spent 4 years on Blacktown City Council from 2004 until 2008 and then won the Federal seat of Greenaway in 2010 which she has held ever since.

Russell Savage: a former senior sergeant with Victoria Police, in 1990 he entered local politics as a councillor for the Shire of Mildura until 1995. In the 1996 Victorian state elections, he ran as an independent in Mildura and won. Savage survived another election before he lost his seat in the 2006 Victorian State election.

Alby Schultz: held the Federal seat of Hume for the Liberals from 1998 until 2013. He was a member of the Cootamundra Shire Council for 8 years from 1983-1991.

Patrick Secker: Held the Federal Liberal seat of Barker in SA from 1998 until 2013. He has had two stints as a councillor as a member of the Meadows District Council from 1981-1983 and the Mt Barker District Council from 1983-1992.

Jeff Seeney: Held the Queensland state seat of Callide for the conservatives since 1998 and was a Monto Shire Councillor from 1992-1998 and Deputy Mayor 1994-1997.

Bob Sercombe: a member of the Labor party, he represented the Division of Maribyrnong, Victoria from 1996 until his retirement at the 2007 federal election. He was a member of the Essendon City Council in 1983 and 1984.

Sid Sidebottom: he was elected to Federal Parliament as the Labor MP for Braddon which he held between 1998 and 2004 where he lost the seat being defeated by the Liberal candidate, Mark Baker, at the 2004 election. He regained it again in 2007 under the leadership of Kevin Rudd.

Robert Sims: was a Councillor for the City of Adelaide (albeit for less than a term) and became a Green's Federal Senator in 2015 when Senator Penny Wright resigned but then lost his seat in 2016 when Greens members preferred Sarah Hanson-Young as No 1 on the ticket.

Julian Simmonds: a Liberal who was finance chair at Brisbane City Council during a 9 year run in local government and then launched a hostile takeover of the Federal seat of Ryan against his old boss Jane Prentice but then lost the seat to the Greens in 2022. later took a senior role at the Stanbroke pastoral business.

Bruce Skeggs: a councillor with Heidelberg Council which include a stint as Mayor from 1990-1991. He was a Liberal member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly from 1973 to 1982, representing Ivanhoe, and representing Templestowe Province from 1988-1996. He was also the founding editor of TV Week.

Tim Smith: former Councillor and Mayor of City of Stonnington in Victoria who became the Liberal member for Kew, having defeated then Cabinet Minister Mary Wooldridge in a contentious preselection in 2013. Drunkenly crashed his car in 2021 and so didn't recontest at the 2022 Victorian election.

Nick Staikos: former City of Glen Eira councillor who has been the state Labor MP for Bentleigh since 2014.

Chris Strong: spent three years on Brighton council in the mid 1970s then served as a Liberal in the Victorian upper house for 14 years until 2006.

Natalie Suleyman: a controversial former mayor of Brimbank who is now the State Labor MP for St Albans.

Jackson Taylor: was a City of Knox councillor who was elected as the state Labor member for Bayswater in 2018 and won again comfortably in 2022 after 4 years of energetic local advocacy.

Nina Taylor: was a City of Glen Eira councillor and then elected as a Labor MP in the Victorian upper house region of Southern Metropolitan in November 2018 and the shifted to the Lower House seat of Albert Park after the 2022 election when Martin Foley retired.

Kelvin Thomson: He was elected as a Coburg councillor in 1981 and served two terms as deputy mayor until 1988. He was then elected to the Victorian Parliament as the Member for Pascoe Vale and served in the Shadow Cabinet from 1992-1994. From 1996 until 2016 he was the Federal member for Wills, so he's a rare individual who has served at all 3 levels of government.

John Thwaites: councillor City of South Melbourne 1985-93 and mayor in 1991-92. Labor state member for Albert Park 1992-2007 which included a long period as Health Minister and deputy premier under Steve Bracks.

Richard Torbay: was elected to Armidale City Council in 1991 and was a Councillor 1991-1998. He was the Deputy Mayor 1992-1993, and Mayor 1995-1998. He was an independent member of the NSW Legislative Assembly from 1999 until 2013, representing the Northern Tablelands.

Ray Tovell: From Brighton councillor to war hero and then Liberal member for Brighton in the Victorian Parliament for 10 years until 1955.

Ian Trezise: a Geelong City Councillor from 1989-1993, he was a Labor Party member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly from 1999 until 2014 representing the seat of Geelong.

Warren Truss: served as leader of the National Party from 2007 until retiring in 2016 after 26 years representing the Queensland seat of Wide Bay. Was a councillor of the Shire of Kingaroy from 1976-1990.

Henry Tsang: was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Council from 1999 until his resignation in 2009. He was also elected to Council of the City of Sydney in 1991 and was the Deputy Lord Mayor of Sydney until 1999.

Wilson Tuckey: Held the Federal seat of O'Connor for the Liberals from 1980 until 2010. He was a controversial councillor in Carnarvon, going on and off several times between 1964 and 1979.

Mark Vaile: he was a member of the Greater Taree City Council from 1985-1993 which included a 3 year stint as deputy mayor. The former Nationals leader, Trade Minister and Deputy Prime Minister was the Federal member for Lyne from 1993 until 2008.

Maria Vamvakinou: since 2001 she has represented the Division of Calwell, Victoria for the Labor Party and was the first Greek-born woman to be elected to parliament in Australia. She is also a member of its Socialist Left faction and served as a Northcote councillor from 1990-1992.

Rosemary Varty: served as a City of Box Hill Cr from 1981 until 1994 and then served 15 years as a Liberal in the Victorian upper house from 1985 until 1999 after failing in seven earlier preselection contests. Later tried to return to local government with a run at the Shire of Yarra Ranges in 2000 but was unsuccessful.

Nick Wakeling: served as the local councillor for Friberg Ward with the Knox City Council from 2003 to 2005 and then represented the Liberals in the state seat of Ferntree Gully from 2006 until 2018. Failed in his attempted return in the seat of Bayswater at the 2022 Victorian election.

John Watkins: former member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly, holding the seat of Ryde from 1999-2008 and then went on to become Deputy Premier of New South Wales from 2005-2008. He is also a former Alderman on Hunters Hill Municipal Council which he served from 1987-1991.

Peter Wellington: has been the incumbent independent MP for Nicklin in Queensland since 1998. He previously served as a Maroochy Shire Councillor for 4 years.

David White: Melbourne City Councillor 1974-77 and upper house state member for Doutta Galla 1976-1996, including a long period as a Cain-Kirner minister.

Kim Wilkie: was a Labor Party member 1998 to 2007, representing the Electoral Division of Swan, WA. Before entering politics, he was a member of South Perth City Council from 1993-1998.

Frank Wilkes: In 1954 he was elected to Northcote City Council, where he served until 1978. He was the Leader of the Labor Opposition in Victoria from 1977 to 1981 and served an an MP from 1957 until 1988. His daughter Helen Buckingham also served in both local government and state parliament.

Morris Williams: Doncaster & Templestowe councillor in the 1960s and early 70s before holding the state seat of Box Hill for the Liberals from 1973 until 1988.

Gerry Wood: a former mayor of the Northern Territory shire of Litchfield, he has been an independent member of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly since 2001, representing the electorate of Nelson.

Lorraine Wreford: a former mayor of Casey in Melbourne's south east who then served 4 years from 2010 until 2014 as the Liberal MP for the marginal state seat of Mordialloc.

Richard Wynne: MP for Richmond and current Planning Minister in Victoria who was a councillor in the City of Melbourne from 1986-1991, including a term as Lord Mayor of Melbourne during 1990-1991. Held the state seat of Richmond as a Labor MP from 1999 until retiring in 2022, when it was won by the Greens.

From Parliament to Council

Here is a list of former state and federal politicians who later returned to serve in local government.

Dick Adams: one of the few politicians who has served at all three levels. Started out as as a Labor state member in Tasmania representing Franklin from 1979 until 1982 then spent 20 years serving as the Federal Member for Lyons from 1993 until 2013, when he was defeated. Then won a seat on the Northern Midlands council in Tasmania in 2014 where he has served ever since, albeit with plenty of controversy along the way.

Robert Doyle: A former Victorian Liberal Opposition leader who represented the seat of Malvern from 1992 until 2005, then spent 10 years as Lord Mayor of Melbourne from 2008 until 2018 before resigning amidst sexual harassment allegations.

Steve Kons: served as Mayor of Burnie from 1997 to 1999 and as a Labor member with the Tasmanian House of Assembly in the electorate of Braddon. He was Deputy Premier of Tasmania from 2006-2008 an is now back serving as Mayor of City of Burnie.

Craig Langdon: councillor City of Heidelberg (1988 – 1994), then Labor MP for Ivanhoe (1996 -2010), until beaten in pre-selection battle by Anthony Carbines before returning to serve on Banyule council in 2012 and rising again to be mayor.

Neil Lucas: Liberal upper house member for Eumemmerring in the Victorian Parliament from 1996-2002 and then elected to City of Casey in 2003 and served as mayor in 2004-05.

Denise McGill: councillor with the City of Oakleigh from 1987-1994 including a stint as Mayor from 1991-1992. A Liberal member for Oakleigh, Victoria from 1992 until August 1999, who then later returned as a City of Monash councillor.

Clover Moore: First won the state seat of Bligh in 1988 and then switched to the seat of Sydney in 2007. Was simultaneously elected Sydney Lord Mayor in 2004 but then left Parliament in 2012 after new legislation made her choose between the two roles. Re-elected Lord Mayor with a record majority in 2016.

Wayne Phillips: spent 14 years on Diamond Valley council, then served as the Liberal member for Eltham for a decade until 2002 before returning to public office as a City of Banyule councillor since 2005, but was defeated at the 2020 council elections.

Mike Symons: was the Federal Labor member for Deakin from 2007 until 2013 and then served on City of Maroondah since 2014.

* Please send corrections and additions to stephen@maynereport.com.

Copyright © 2024 The Mayne Report. All rights reserved

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