Green wave sweeps through Brunswick
Labor’s Tapinos defeated in bid for fifth council term
Mark Phillips
Thursday, November 30, 2023
VETERAN Labor councillor Lambros Tapinos has failed in his bid for re-election after the Greens made a clean sweep of all four wards in Brunswick.
Tapinos, the outgoing Deputy Mayor of Merri-bek City Council, was beaten by Greens challenger Ella Svensson on preferences, denying him a fifth term as a councillor.
He was the most high profile victim of the green wave that swamped Brunswick, but elsewhere in Merri-bek the Greens didn’t have it all their own way, and they have fallen short of their aspiration for a majority on the new council.
Labor has secured three seats — one more than in the previous council. One of the Labor victories was in Harmony Park (Coburg), where Helen Politis has toppled former Mayor Angelica Panopoulos of the Greens.
The results will leave the council with four Greens, three Labor and four non-aligned councillors.
Tapinos, a three-time Mayor who spent 16 years as a councillor, said he was disappointed at the outcome but he had gone into the election thinking of himself as the underdog.
He led the early counting of primary votes but began to slip behind when later arriving votes were added. Despite doing a deal with independent Kathleen De Courcy-Browne, he was unable to counter the flow of preferences from Victorian Socialists’ candidate Anneke Demanuele to Svensson.
“I knew it was going to be tough but I thought I could scrape over the line,” he said.
“It’s unfortunate and I was hoping it would not be the case, but at the end of the day it wasn’t a big surprise.”
Tapinos said he had no regrets about running in Brunswick West, even though he could have moved to a northern ward where the results were more favourable to Labor.
“I’ve lived in Brunswick all my life and I didn’t see the need to be on the council and not represent my own community,” he said.
The new councillor for Brunswick West, Ella Svensson, is a 30-year-old clinical psychologist and family therapist employed by the state government.
Ella Svensson wins Brunswick West
Primary vote results
76.5% of votes counted
Candidate
Party
Votes
%
Kathleen De Courcy-Browne
Independent
1452
18.2
Ella Svensson
Greens
2860
35.8
Lambros Tapinos
Labor
2655
33.2
Anneka Demanuele
Victorian Socialists
1026
12.8
Total formal votes
7993
Ella Svensson wins Brunswick West
Primary vote results
76.5% of votes counted
Candidate
Votes
%
Kathleen
De Courcy-Browne
Independent
1452
18.2
Ella Svensson
Greens
2860
35.8
Lambros Tapinos
Labor
2655
33.2
Anneke Demanuele
Vic. Socialists
1026
12.8
Total formal votes
7993
Two candidate preferred result
Source: Victorian Electoral Commission
With 75.7% of the enrolled voters counted, Labor’s share of the primary vote across the four Brunswick wards was 24.1% and in two wards – Bulleke-bek and Randazzo – it was knocked down to third place. The Greens received 41.2% of the primary vote across the four Brunswick wards, while Victorian Socialists gained 16%.
Of the four Brunswick wards, the tightest race was in Randazzo, roughly between Sydney Road and Nicholson Street, where the Greens’ Liz Irvin was declared the winner on Monday afternoon after preferences were exhausted.
Irvin had led by 715 primary votes, a 35.3% share, over independent Voula Allimonos’ 26% in a five-way race, but stormed home after preferences were distributed with 60.6%.
Outgoing Mayor Adam Pulford, who shifted to a Brunswick ward for this election, won the easternmost ward of Warrk-Warrk with 57.1% of primary votes, while Jay Iwasaki held off a challenge from Victorian Socialists’ Louisa Bassini to receive 58.5% of the two-candidate preferred result in Bulleke-bek.
Labor had believed its best hope in the south of the Merri-bek was Brunswick West, where state and federal voting patterns give it stronger support and Tapinos had a high-profile.
Jay Iwasaki wins Bulleke-bek
Primary vote results
76% of votes counted
Candidate
Party
Votes
%
Mel Yuan
Independent
1213
15.6
Louisa Bassini
Victorian Socialists
1795
23
Owen Miller
Fusion Party
351
4.5
Jay Iwasaki
Greens
2881
36.9
Helen Breier
Labor
1561
20
Total formal votes
7801
Jay Iwasaki wins Bulleke-bek
Primary vote results
76% of votes counted
Candidate
Votes
%
Mel Yuan
Independent
1213
15.6
Louisa Bassini
Vic. Socialists
1795
23
Owen Miller
Fusion Party
351
4.5
Jay Iwasaki
Greens
2881
36.9
Helen Breier
Labor
1561
20
Total formal votes
7801
Two candidate preferred result
Source: Victorian Electoral Commission
Further north, the biggest shock was the result in Harmony Park, where Greens’ rising star Angelica Panopoulos was denied re-election by Labor’s Helen Politis, a long-time community activist.
Panopoulos was city’s youngest Mayor in 2022-23 at the age of 23.
In a statement on social media, Panopoulos said she was disappointed in the final result after she had led on primary votes by 177. But Politis pulled ahead after the distribution of preferences from third placed Jason Clarke flowed to her at a rate of almost three-to-one. In the end, Politis polled 52.8% to win by 521 votes.
“Ever since I was first elected in 2020, I’ve not wasted a single moment,” Panopoulos said. “I’ve crammed more into these four years than some would in four terms.”
She cited among her proudest achievements doubling of the council’s tree planting budget, the central Coburg revitalisation strategy, council advocacy on Palestine, not holding citizenship ceremonies on January 26 in defiance of the federal government and the change of the council’s name from Moreland to Merri-bek.
“It was also so special being Merri-bek’s youngest mayor and seeing what that representation meant for young girls across our community. I’ll always cherish that,” Panopoulos said.
Chris Miles won Box Forest (Glenroy) for Labor with 53.9% of the two-candidate preferred vote over the Greens’ Metin Golbasi.
Westbreen (Pascoe Vale) was one of the closest contests before Labor’s Katerine Theodosis emerged victorious over independent Renee Egglestone by 314 votes, while incumbent councillor Helen Pavlidis-Mihalakos was ousted after one term.
The closest battle of all was in Pentridge ward, where former Greens Mayor Natalie Abboud has been returned to the council as an independent.
This was a three-way tussle between Abboud, Labor’s Suzan Saka and Greens’ Kenna Morrison. Abboud received 21.4% of primary votes and finished with 53.7% after receiving strong preference flows from Morrison enabled her to see off the challenge from Saka.
Liz Irvin wins Randazzo
Primary vote results
75.2% of votes counted
Candidate
Party
Votes
%
Voula Allimonos
Independent
2002
26
Liz Irvin
Greens
2717
35.3
Felix Dance
Socialist Alliance
834
10.8
Thomas Nash
Labor
1341
17.4
Kosta Rologas
Victorian Socialists
802
10.4
Total formal votes
7696
Liz Irvin wins Randazzo
Primary vote results
75.2% of votes counted
Candidate
Votes
%
Voula Allimonos
Independent
2002
26
Liz Irvin
Greens
2717
35.3
Felix Dance
Socialist Alliance
834
10.8
Thomas Nash
Labor
1341
17.4
Kosta Rologas
Vic. Socialists
802
10.4
Total formal votes
7696
Two candidate preferred result
Source: Victorian Electoral Commission
Incumbent independents Oscar Yildiz and Helen Davidson were re-elected – Yildiz gaining 62.3% of the primary vote in the Pascoe Vale South ward – as was the Socialist Alliance’s Sue Bolton.
Unlike the neighbouring council of Yarra, where the Greens had just two of its previous five councillors returned, the party has maintained four seats in Merri-bek (before the resignation to become an independent of James Conlan in 2023).
Outgoing Mayor Adam Pulford, commenting on behalf of the Greens, said the party was proud of its positive campaign which put at its forefront affordable housing, investment in community services and infrastructure, safer and greener streets, acting on climate change, backing the arts and a potential local treaty with traditional owners.
“During the campaign, our candidates and volunteers had more direct conversations with local residents than ever before.
“We worked closely with Samantha Ratnam and her campaign team and our strong results across Merri-bek are a positive sign for Sam’s campaign to win the federal seat of Wills for the Greens.”
The new council will be sworn in next Monday and the Mayor and Deputy Mayor will be elected on November 20.
Adam Pulford wins Warrk-Warrk
Primary vote results
75.1% of votes counted
Candidate
Party
Votes
%
Jo-Ann Hope
Victorian Socialists
1369
17.7
Jenne Perlstein
Labor
1958
25.2
Adam Pulford
Greens
4427
57.1
Total formal votes
7754
Adam Pulford wins Warrk-Warrk
Primary vote results
75.1% of votes counted
Candidate
Votes
%
Jo-Ann Hope
Vic. Socialists
1369
17.7
Jenne Perlstein
Labor
1958
25.2
Adam Pulford
Greens
4427
57.1
Total formal votes
7754
Primary vote result
Source: Victorian Electoral Commission
Final make-up of the new council
Greens
Ella Svensson
Brunswick West
Jay Iwasaki
Bulleke-bek
Liz Irvin
Randazzo
Adam Pulford
Warrk-Warrk
Labor
Chris Miles
Box Forest
Helen Politis
Pentridge
Katerine Theodosis
Westbreen
Socialist Alliance
Sue Bolton
Bababi Djinanang
Independent
Helen Davidson
Djirri-Djirri
Oscar Yildiz
Pascoe Vale South
Natalie Abboud
Pentridge
Veteran councillor departs with no regrets
HE won’t be around as a councillor for its official opening, but Lambros Tapinos believes the new community and arts precinct in Saxon Street will be his enduring legacy.
Tapinos, 45, who has lost his bid for re-election for a fifth term, says he fought hard to convince other councillors to purchase the former Catholic school site for about $7 million 14 years ago.
The $28 million precinct, which has been officially named Balam Balam Place, is on track to open early next year.
“That’s my biggest legacy piece, steering that project for 16 years from the purchase of the land to the final design and construction,” Tapinos told Brunswick Voice.
“It cost about $7 million and there was a lot of opposition from other councillors [but] I felt that this location was so important for us it was an opportunity that should not be lost. And I think that position has been vindicated.”
Tapinos was first elected to the then-Moreland City Council in 2008 at the age of 29 and was immediately chosen by his fellow councillors to be Mayor.
“My biggest ambition when I was first elected was to preserve our history and strengthen our community – particularly the working-class and migrant origins Brunswick was built upon,” he said in a social media post confirming his defeat.
“When I walk the bluestone laneways I helped protect, the factories I helped preserve, or Sparta Place where the ethnic ancestry of our community – my ancestry – is celebrated and admired, I feel I have achieved something.”
Winning three more elections, Tapinos was Mayor again in 2013-14 and 2019-20. The latter term coincided with the Covid pandemic when the council was confronted with the unexpected cancellation of the Brunswick Music Festival halfway through and the need to provide a whole range of extra services to the community.
During that period, Tapinos was also president of the Victorian Local Governance Association.
In his second term as Mayor, Moreland joined with Yarra Council in legal action to prevent the Napthine Government proceeding with the East-West Link road tunnel at a cost of tens of thousands of dollars.
“That action was integral in stopping the East-West Link because it enabled the Labor Opposition to say the project should not proceed [because of community opposition], and then a few months later they got elected and scrapped it,” Tapinos said.
But Tapinos also takes pride from lesser known actions during his time as a councillor and Mayor, including boosting aged care services, retaining a 50m pool at the Brunswick Baths, anti-gambling reforms – including a shortlived differential rates system for pokies venues – and upgrades to outdoor sports facilities.
A key figure in local Labor circles, in 2016 he briefly expressed interest in seeking pre-selection for the federal seat of Wills before standing aside for Peter Khalil.
Tapinos says he will remain a mentor for the three new Labor councillors and will concentrate on completing his PhD in Archaeology, focussing on ancient Greece. He plans to avoid becoming too involved in local community issues, but says it will take some time to adjust to life as an ordinary citizen after being immersed in council for the past decade and a half.
“For 16 years, it’s been the number one priority of my life and I’ve now got to rewire my brain not to think about council all the time when I’m walking past a park or see a damaged footpath and think maybe we need to do this or that,” he said.
“It was a big chapter of my life and I enjoyed every moment of it.
“I’ve achieved a lot and got a lot done and people in the community recognise that … [but] that chapter is closed and now I have to focus on whatever else I want to do with my life.”
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