# City of Darebin

The City of Darebin is a local government area in Victoria, Australia, in the northern suburbs of Melbourne. It has an area of 54 square kilometres (20.8 sq mi) and in June 2018 Darebin had a population of 161,609. Municipal offices are located at 350 High Street, Preston.
Darebin was rated 386th of 590 Australian Local Government Areas in the BankWest Quality of Life Index 2008.

## History

The City of Darebin was formed in 1994 with the merger of most of the former Cities of Northcote and Preston, with the transfer of the portion of the City of Northcote of Heidelberg Road to the City of Yarra and minor adjustments with the former Cities of Coburg, Heidelberg and the Shire of Diamond Valley.

## Council
### Current composition

Darebin is divided into nine single-member wards, each elected through preferential voting. Prior to 2020, councillors were elected from three multi-member wards.
Following the 2024 local election, the councillors are:
| Party | Party | Councillors |
| | Labor | 5 |
| | Greens | 3 |
| | Independent | 1 |
| Total | Total | 9 |
| Ward | Party | Councillor | Notes |
| Central | Labor | Kristine Olaris | Mayor |
| North Central | Labor | Vasilios Tsalkos | |
| North East | Labor | Matt Arturi | |
| North West | Independent | Gaetano Greco | |
| South | Greens | Julie O'Brien | |
| South Central | Greens | Ruth Jelley | |
| South East | Labor | Emily Dimitriadis | Deputy Mayor |
| South West | Greens | Alexandra Sangster | |
| West | Labor | Connie Boglis | |

### Mayors
## Past councillors
### 2020−present

| Year | Central | Central | North Central | North Central | North East | North East | North West | North West | South | South | South Central | South Central | South East | South East | South West | South West | West | West |
| Year | Councillor | Councillor | Councillor | Councillor | Councillor | Councillor | Councillor | Councillor | Councillor | Councillor | Councillor | Councillor | Councillor | Councillor | Councillor | Councillor | Councillor | Councillor |
| 2020 | | Lina Messina (Ind) | | Julia Williams (Labor/Ind) | | Tim Laurence (Labor/Ind) | | Gaetano Greco (Ind) | | Tom Hannan (Greens) | | Susan Rennie (Ind) | | Emily Dimitriadis (Labor) | | Trent McCarthy (Greens) | | Susanne Newton (Greens) |
| 2024 | | Lina Messina (Ind) | | Julia Williams (Labor/Ind) | | Tim Laurence (Labor/Ind) | | Gaetano Greco (Ind) | | Tom Hannan (Greens) | | Susan Rennie (Ind) | | Emily Dimitriadis (Labor) | | Trent McCarthy (Greens) | | Susanne Newton (Greens) |
| 2024 | | Kristine Olaris (Labor) | | Vasilios Tsalkos (Labor) | | Matt Arturi (Labor) | | Gaetano Greco (Ind) | | Julie O'Brien (Greens) | | Ruth Jelley (Greens) | | Emily Dimitriadis (Labor) | | Alexandra Sangster (Greens) | | Connie Boglis (Labor) |

## Election results
### 2024

2024 Victorian local elections: Darebin :
| Party | Party | Party | Votes | % | Swing | Seats | Change |
| | Independent | Independent | 28,746 | 34.54 | +5.49 | 1 | 2 |
| | Labor | Labor | 25,905 | 31.13 | +8.89 | 5 | 2 |
| | Greens | Greens | 19,418 | 23.33 | −1.24 | 3 | |
| | Victorian Socialists | Victorian Socialists | 9,634 | 11.58 | +4.02 | 0 | |
| Total | Total | Total | 83,219 | 100.00 | | 9 | |
| Invalid/blank votes | Invalid/blank votes | Invalid/blank votes | 3,093 | 3.58 | | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 86,312 | 79.76 | | | |
| Registered voters | Registered voters | Registered voters | 108,217 | | | | |

### 2020

The Labor Party did not officially endorse candidates in Darebin. However, ten party members contested as part of the "Labor Members for Darebin" group (including one who was later disendorsed) and a further four contested as Independent Labor candidates, without support from the group or an official party endorsement.
2020 Victorian local elections: Darebin :
| Party | Party | Votes | % | Seats | Change |
| Independent | Independent | 26,794 | 29.05 | 3 | |
| Greens | Greens | 22,661 | 24.57 | 3 | 1 |
| Darebin Labor | Darebin Labor | 20,519 | 22.24 | 3 | 1 |
| Victorian Socialists | Victorian Socialists | 6,977 | 7.56 | 0 | |
| Independent Labor | Independent Labor | 4,939 | 5.35 | 0 | |
| Save The Planet | Save The Planet | 2,934 | 3.18 | 0 | |
| Reason | Reason | 1,913 | 2.07 | 0 | |
| Independent Liberal | Independent Liberal | 1,853 | 2.01 | 0 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Liberal Democrats | 899 | 0.97 | 0 | |

## Townships and localities

At the 2021 census, the city had a population of 148,570 up from 146,719 at the 2016 census.
Population :
| Locality | 2016 | 2021 |
| Alphington^ | 5,080 | 5,702 |
| Bundoora^ | 28,653 | 28,068 |
| Fairfield^ | 6,558 | 6,535 |
| Kingsbury | 3,780 | 3,460 |
| Macleod^ | 9,769 | 9,892 |
| Northcote | 24,561 | 25,276 |
| Preston | 32,851 | 33,790 |
| Reservoir | 50,474 | 51,096 |
| Thornbury | 18,568 | 19,005 |
^ - Territory divided with another LGA

## Economy of Darebin

The 2012 Business Register states that Darebin currently has 11,575 businesses operating within the region. These businesses create 55,278 jobs for locals and residents of Melbourne, and the Darebin area itself has 74,291 employed residents. Darebin had a Gross Regional Product of A$5.23 billion in 2012, a 0.3% increase on the previous year. Since 2001, approximately A$1 billion of extra GRP has been created in the region. The biggest exports in Darebin are:
* Manufacturing ($1,072 million)
* Education & training ($313 million)
* Wholesale trade ($243 million)
Since 2006, gentrification in the Darebin area has seen average incomes and property values increase significantly in the region, particularly in the suburbs of Northcote, Fairfield, Alphington and Thornbury. As a result, there has been a dramatic change in the economy of Darebin and the types of businesses that operate. For example, since 2006, there has been increases in the total exports of the following industry sectors:
* Accommodation & food services – 49% increase ($39 million to $88.8 million)
* Wholesale trade – 39.4% increase ($203 million to $243 million)
Darebin also experienced growth thanks to the mining boom, with a 57% increase in mining-relating exports from 2006 to 2012, despite there being no mines in the municipality.
Of the 11,575 registered businesses in Darebin, the most common industry sectors are:
* Construction – 1,992 registered businesses (17.2%)
* Professional, scientific & technical services – 1,442 registered businesses (12.3%)
* Rental, hiring & real estate services – 1,167 registered businesses (10.1%)
* Transport, postal & warehousing – 1,031 registered businesses (8.9%)

## Demographics of Darebin

As of 2012, Darebin has 144,086 residents living in its boundaries which include 5,344 hectares or 53 km$^2$. This gives the area of Darebin a population density of 26.96 persons per hectare. Darebin residents have a median age of 36 and earn on average $1,178 per week. According to the 2011 Australian Bureau of Statistics census, in Darebin:
* 28% of households are couples with children. (4% lower than Victorian average)
* 34% live in Medium/High density housing (11% higher than Victorian average)
* 34% of residents rent their property (8% higher than Victorian average)
* 28% have a bachelor's degree or Higher (7% higher than Victorian average)
* 21% travel on Public Transport to work (10% higher than Victorian average)
* 29% from Non-English speaking backgrounds (9% higher than Victorian average)
The most common occupations in Darebin are:
* Professionals (28.7%)
* Clerical & Administrative Workers (14.7%)
* Technicians & Trade Workers (12.0%)
With gentrification, more educated and affluent residents are moving to the Darebin area, particularly in the suburbs of Northcote and Fairfield. This has seen a marked change in the occupations of residents in Darebin since 2006. There has been a decline in the number of residents employed in manual labour sectors and an increase in the number of residents employed in managerial, professional and community service sectors. This is also related to the number of residents living in Darebin with tertiary education, with a 6% increase in residents with degrees in the last 7 years. Furthermore, the largest increase in residents in Darebin came from those earning in the top 25%, with a 3.4% increase in these households since 2006.
Darebin has a diverse multicultural population, with 33.7% of residents being born overseas. The most common countries of birth are:
* Italy (5.3%)
* Greece (3.7%)
* India (3.3%)
* China (3.2%)
26% of Darebin residents also arrived in Australia within the last 5 years.
Darebin as a region is home to many environmentalists, and this, along with Darebin's proximity to the Melbourne CBD, is reflected in the transportation methods used by Darebin residents compared to Melbourne as a whole. Most residents still drive to work, with 50.1% of residents driving alone to work, however this is 10% lower than the Greater Melbourne average. Furthermore, 14.2% of Darebin residents travel to work by bus, compared to 11.9% in the rest of Melbourne. Darebin residents also walk to work, cycle to work or catch other modes of public transport more often than the rest of Melbourne. Since 2006, the largest single increase in transportation use has been in train travel, with 2,423 more residents catching the train, compared to 2,416 new vehicle drivers. This is the largest increase in Victoria.

## Arts and entertainment

Darebin City has an active artist community which is contemporary, experimental and culturally diverse. Writers, musicians and visual artists flock to the locality for performance, collaboration and acceptance. Notable contributors to the Darebin arts community are locals, Rose Turtle Ertler, Sundown and/or Last Stand, The Contrast, The Melbourne Ukulele Kollective, DIY art shows and house gigs collective, Loveanarchistpress Publishing, Performing Older Women's Circus (POW Circus) and TRAX Arts.
Darebin celebrates the artistry and diversity of the community with regular festivals and events such as the Darebin Music Feast and the High Vibes festival. The city also funds community music, such as the Preston Symphony Orchestra and public artwork, such as the Fairfield Industrial Dog Object.
The Preston Market is a central feature of Darebin and attracts people from all around the area.

## Controversies
### Australia Day

In August 2017 the City of Darebin followed the City of Yarra Council in deciding not to celebrate Australia Day events. This was criticised by conservative commentators, with the Federal government subsequently removing the council's powers to hold citizenship ceremonies.

### Same-sex marriage

In the lead-up to the Australian Marriage Law Postal Survey the council announced it will allow pro same-sex marriage campaigners to use its facilities and services (for free) and deny this access to those of an alternate view. This was criticised by conservative commentators but welcomed by community members.
The council subsequently reversed its plans to oppose those campaigning for the 'no' vote.

### Men banned from applying for a council position

In September 2021, it was widely reported in the Australian media that the Darebin City Council had banned men from applying for a new position despite being an "equal opportunity employer".

### 2022 state election

During the 2022 Victorian state election Labor took what they described as a 'Greens-dominated' Darebin council to court for removing Labor's billboards in the state seat of Northcote. Labor was able to obtain a court order that the council not interfere with Labor's campaign material.