Mayor of Launceston

Albert Van Zetten (born 12 April 1954) is an Australian politician and the current Mayor of

Launceston, Tasmania. He was formerly CEO of City Mission Launceston, and worked as an accountant. He lives in Riverside with his wife Lyndle.

He is well known for his opposition to the Bell Bay Pulp Mill.

The Launceston City Council consists of 12 aldermen elected by the community. 

On 21 March 1994, following the introduction of the new Local Government Act 1993 (January 1994) the Launceston City Council reaffirmed that its elected members be called aldermen instead of councillors. From October 2014, Aldermen serve a four-year term of office.

The Mayor and Deputy Mayor of the Launceston City Council are likewise elected by public vote at Council Election every four years. The elected candidate must also be elected as an Alderman to be eligible for the position.

Information for voters at Launceston City Council Elections

There is a Code of Conduct for Aldermen (PDF 420KB) that the Aldermen must adhere to.

The Council will reimburse expenditure incurred by the Aldermen in undertaking their role as an Alderman on behalf of the Council. Mayor and Aldermens Expenses Resources Policy (PDF 64KB)

Guidelines are provided to Aldermen with regard to accurate records being made, of activities and decisions of Aldermen, undertaken whilst acting in their official capacity on behalf of the Council.  Record Keeping for Alderment Policy (PDF 25KB)

For information on previous Mayors and Aldermen please email the Council.



The City of Launceston is a local government area of Tasmania, encompassing about half of the greater Launceston area in northern Tasmania. It also includes a region to the north east of Launceston, encompassing towns such as Lilydale. The population residing in this area, 67,190, is the highest of any Local Government Area in Tasmania.

This area is governed by the Launceston City Council, led by a mayor and eleven other aldermen. The current mayor is Albert Van Zetten, who defeated Legislative Councillor Ivan Dean in the 2007 council elections. Dean's predecessor, Janie Dickenson, was, at the time of her election, the youngest female mayor in Australia. She was first elected mayor in February 2002 at the age of 27.

Professional integrity, passion and meticulous planning are only some of the attributes Mayor

Deirdre Comerford is renowned for region wide. Having grown up on a cane farm near Eton, Cr Comerford possesses a sound understanding of the region's diverse economic drivers. She cares deeply about her community and its people.

First elected to Mackay City Council in 1994, she retired as Deputy Mayor in 2004 to adopt her two children from Taiwan. Re-elected in 2008 she held the Water and Waste Water portfolio. In 2012 she was elected Mayor of Mackay Regional Council.

Prior to council she worked for the Justice Department Public Trust Office administering deceased estates and managing the financial affairs of clients. This valuable experience allowed her to develop an appreciation for processes, a keen eye for detail and an impeccable memory. She then became a Real Estate agent and it was in this role she discovered her passion for land use planning.

Cr Comerford is proud of her leadership role with the Cairns-Townsville-Mackay Water Alliance (which won the 2011 National Award for Asset and Financial Management), the $154M wastewater recycling project irrigating 2800ha of farmland, establishment of the 10 bed drug and alcohol residential facility in Mackay, and Lest We Forget Soldier Street Naming Project to name a few.

Encouraging others to reach his/her full potential, Cr Comerford devoted much time and energy in implementing the first mentoring program in Queensland for staff and councillors. Cr Comerford was State President of the Australian Local Government Women's Association and served 11 years on the State and National Executives. She now serves on the LGAQ Policy Executive representing Mackay-Whitsunday-Isaac region.

Cr Comerford's wide involvement in community service includes Charter Member and Past President of the Pioneer Quota Club, a service club for businesswomen. She is a Trustee of the Macrossan and Amiet Charitable Foundation, Artspace Foundation, Mackay Community Foundation, Life Member of Mackay Tourism, Chair of Diversify Mackay Leadership Alliance, Chair of Whitsunday ROC, Deputy Chair of Regional Capitals Australia , Regional Co-ordinator International Adoptive Families of Queensland, a volunteer for 23 years at the Mater Hospital and has served on numerous other community groups over many years.

Happily married for more than 33 years to husband Brett, the couple's two children are aged 12 and 10.

Mackay,is a city and its centre suburb in the Mackay Region on the eastern coast of Queensland, Australia. It is located about 970 kilometres (603 mi) north of Brisbane, on the Pioneer River. Mackay is nicknamed the sugar capital of Australia because its region produces more than a third of Australia's cane sugar.

There is controversy about the location of the region for administrative purposes, with most people referring to it as a part of either Central Queensland or North Queensland. Indeed, much confusion lies within the Queensland Government, with government services being provided through both Townsville (North Queensland) and Rockhampton (Central Queensland). Generally, the area is known as the Mackay–Whitsunday Region.

Mayor of Rockhampton

I am of a certain age 🙂 , married to Darryl and we have four grown up children – Deborah,

Alan, Elizabeth and Priscilla.

Darryl’s family have been five or six generations in the Rockhampton region. His dad was Alan – who worked at the railway as a plumber, his mum was Beryl (who made legendary sponge cakes) and family members have been active in Cricket and Hockey forever!

I was born in Toowoomba, had a bit of a messed up childhood (what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger) and eventually ended up at the Capricornia Institute of Advanced Education (now Central Queensland University) studying to be a Primary Teacher.

Darryl and I married in 1978 (which gives my age away a bit 🙂 )

Since that time, I have been a teacher, a full time mum, a Child Care Director and a perpetual student. And Mayor of Rockhampton for eight years.



I have my original teacher’s diploma and four other qualifications in education and history, including two degrees and a Masters in Education Studies.

I am an active member of my church, a keen gardener and I will read just about anything I can lay my hands on.

And I am convinced that we all have something to offer.. and that we need to be willing to do the offering!

Project such as the Gracemere Industrial Area, the ‘food bowl’ and the weirs on the Fitzroy River and engagement with the mining community were projects lead by Rockhampton Council.

I championed amalgamation and regional co- operation.



I did not contest the election in 2008 believing that a new Mayor would give the newly amalgamated council the best chance.

By early 2012 it was obvious that the amalgamation was not going well and so I answered the call from many in the community to nominate in 2012.

I found a bitter and divided community which was reflected at the council table.

The budget was in serious deficit and debt had risen from $84 million at amalgamation to $220 million with several multimillion dollar items ordered but not yet paid for at the time I was re- elected.

The newly elected Newman Government had promised a vote on deamalgamation. And the rest is history.

In the last four years I have stopped the ever upward rise in debt and have actually paid four and a half million dollars down.

I’ve returned the budget to a comfortable Surplus and the strength of our finances now is evidenced by the fact that we were able to sustain the financial shock of Marcia with only a 1.9% Rates rise.

I put the topic of the Fitzroy Weirs back on the agenda, allocated funding to finish the work at Gracemere – both residential and industrial, and I have begun a major renewal programme in the CBD of Rockhampton with new technology and jobs firmly at its heart.

I believe it’s important for Rockhampton regional council to be very focused on its own economic health at the moment.

Rockhampton is a city and local government area in Queensland, Australia. The city lies on the Fitzroy River, approximately 45 kilometres (28 mi) from the river mouth, and some 600 kilometres (370 mi) north of the state capital, Brisbane. Rockhampton has a north and south side with three bridges connecting both sides, one for trains and two for vehicles and people.

The estimated urban population of Rockhampton in June 2014 was 80,345. Rockhampton hosts a significant number of governmental, community and major business administrative offices for the central, coastal part of the state.

Rockhampton experiences over 300 days of sunshine each year, which lends itself to tourism activities all year round and an abundance of outdoor activities. Popular attractions include Riverbank Parklands, a riverfront parkland attraction located on the banks of Fitzroy River; the Capricorn Coast, the coastal strip between Yeppoon, Emu Park and Great Keppel Island, a large neighbouring island off the Capricorn Coast, the vast majority of which is national park.

Mayor of Bunbury

THE new Mayor of the City of Bunbury is Gary Brennan after tonight’s count at the City of

Bunbury offices.

Mr Brennan was previously a City of Bunbury CEO for six years as well as a ministerial chief of staff in the state government to Bunbury MLA John Castrilli. 

During the campaign Mr Brennan listed his strengths as being in leadership, team building and community engagement.

The newly elected Mayor of Bunbury thanked his supporters and outgoing Mayor David Smith in his inaugural speech. 

"It's an honour to take on this responsibility and I am going to deliver the things I think Bunbury wants to have delivered through their Mayor."

"I am looking forward to working with a very dedicated team of councillors."

"I want to thank the people who supported me through the ballot." 

For the first few weeks of the campaign Mr Brennan and his team ran their campaign from North America as he was travelling.

Mr Brennan paid respect to outgoing Mayor David Smith and said it was "a tough job" and a very onerous task to be the Mayor of Bunbury.

Eight candidates ran for the position of Mayor in a tightly fought contest where Mr Brennan received 21.45 percent of the vote (1636) while Michelle Steck was second on 18.13 percent (1383) and incumbent Mayor David Smith was third on 17.95 percent (1369).  

7628 votes were returned in this election accounting for around 35 percent of the eligible voting population.  

Grab your copy of the Bunbury Mail this Wednesday to find out more about our new Mayor and his plans for the City. 

To see exactly how the counting of the votes in this year's election took place visit our live coverage pages which includes a photo gallery of the night's proceedings here. 

The City of Bunbury is a local government area in the South West region of Western Australia, covering an area of 65.7 square kilometres (25.4 sq mi) along the coast about 180 kilometres (112 mi) south of Perth, the capital of Western Australia. The City of Bunbury is one of four local governments comprising the Greater Bunbury sub-region. As at 30 June 2010, the City of Bunbury had an estimated population of 34,626.

Mayor of Bundaberg

MORE than 35 new mayors are expected to step into the roles, with Queensland’s peak local

government body pointing to “voter grumpiness” in the bush and upheaval in indigenous communities as counting continues.

Former Queensland police minister Jack Dempsey was among the new faces claiming victory in the aftermath of Saturday’s election. The newly-elected Bundaberg mayor, who secured 70 per cent from more than three-quarters of the tallied votes, vowed to set the national standard in running a local government and called on the State Government to make it more affordable to live in Queensland.

Mr Dempsey said he had been “unshackled” from a political party to focus on making the Bundaberg region one of the best in the country. He planned to boost local jobs and use the Bundaberg port to increase the agricultural economy of the region, which he said nets in $550 million a year in fresh produce. “There is enormous potential for our port to promote produce out of our region,” he said.

“I want to show all of Australia what a beautiful region this is. I want to have the best operating council in Australia which will boost our local economy.”

The local government shake-up which was expected to be smaller than the changes in the 2012 election result, was being witnessed more in rural communities.

“The voter grumpiness was in the bush,” Local Government Association of Queensland chief executive Greg Hallam said.

“We saw some really high-profile, long-term mayors like Rob Loughnan at Maranoa … some of the longer-serving people in local government lose their seats.’’

He said the turnover in the 17 indigenous communities was also particularly high .

There was stability in the southeast corner where voters backed incumbent mayors such as Ipswich’s Paul Pisasale and the Gold Coast’s Tom Tate.

Mr Hallam said the return of the leaders was a sign of confidence in the administrations.

“Tom Tate (Gold Coast), Graham Quirk (Brisbane), Paul Pisasale (Ipswich), Allan Sutherland (Moreton Bay), Mark Jamieson (Sunshine Coast), Paul Antonio (Toowoomba), they got very high votes – and most of their council was returned,” he said.

The City of Bundaberg was a local government area located in the Wide Bay–Burnett region of Queensland, Australia, encompassing the centre and inner suburbs of the regional city of Bundaberg. The city covered an area of 95.5 square kilometres (36.9 sq mi), and existed as a local government entity in various forms from 1881 until 2008, when it amalgamated with several other councils in the surrounding area to form the Bundaberg Region.

Mayor of Coffs Harbour

The Coffs Coast is a place very close to my heart, one in which my children grew up, I want to

see it grow and thrive for the children of the future.
I have lived in Sawtell with my husband Christopher for the past 32 years and am the mother of three children - Katherine, David and Amy - and the proud grandmother of two fantastic grandchildren. 

I am a Registered Nurse by profession and have worked both in the Emergency Department of  the Coffs Harbour Health Campus and, more recently, at Baringa Hospital.  
I am actively involved in current health issues, local theatre and many fund-raisers for the community.  You might say I am a bit of an all-rounder as I’m  interested in sport and promoting tourism in this wonderful area.  I work for the community by providing a different dimension to Council.

During my term, Council has achieved many of mine and the community’s  goals.  These include building a long-awaited state-of-the-art skate park, a revitalised boat ramp and a popular coastal walk. The transformation of the Jetty Foreshores is well underway while renewal of the  City Centre has begun, as well as many other projects of which I am passionate.  I am still working towards getting an entertainment centre up and running, which I hope will including a new library and art gallery.

The City of Coffs Harbour (Also known as Coffs Harbour City Council) is a local government area in the Mid North Coast region of New South Wales, Australia. The area under administration is 1,175 square kilometres (454 sq mi), expanded in 2004 to take in parts of the former Pristine Waters local government area.

The administrative seat is located in Coffs Harbour; and the area is adjacent to the Pacific Highway, and the North Coast railway line.

The Mayor of the City of Coffs Harbour is Denise Knight, an independent politician.

Mayor of Wagga Wagga

CHANGE to Wagga City Council's leadership team was touted in the lead-up and delivered on Monday night.

Councillor Dallas Tout was elected deputy mayor unopposed at the council meeting, replacing Councillor Andrew Negline.

Mayor Rod Kendall withstood a challenge from Councillor Paul Funnell to retain his position at the helm for another 12 months.

Councillor Kendall won 6-4 in an open vote, with Cr Funnell backed by himself and councillors Negline, Yvonne Braid and Kerry Pascoe.

Councillor Julian McLaren was absent for the vote.

Moments after his victory, Cr Tout stressed leadership sat with the entire council, not the two individuals elected to lead them.

"To me the deputy mayor position, and the mayoral position in some ways, is more a representation than a leadership," Cr Tout told The Daily Advertiser on Monday night.

"People call them leadership positions, (but) I don't really do that.

"To me, the leadership still sits within the core group of 11 councillors."

Cr Tout, who works as a finance manager at Charles Sturt University, said the role was another step towards "correctly representing the feelings and the thoughts of the other councillors" regardless of the forum.

Having spent three terms on Gundagai Shire Council (GSC) - including time as deputy mayor - Cr Tout said he would use the relationships he has already forged with other councils to the city's advantage.

"With the local government review going on now, and what's going to happen there, part of that representation is all about relationships," he said.

"I think those kind of networks (developed with GSC) are going to help us moving forward in what's going to be very turbulent times in the next 12 months in local government regionally and across the state."

Cr Tout's wife, Janine, was surprised he was elected unopposed, but said he was driven when it came to local government.

Mayor of Hervey Bay

Mayor Chris Loft

Phone: 0418 227 142
Email: chris.loft@frasercoast.qld.gov.au

A Fraser Coast resident for more than 30 years, I have had experience as a small business consultant and accountant, and owned several businesses during that time.

I am excited at the potential for the Fraser Coast.  We are fortunate to have such diversity across our region and I am passionate about promoting an inclusive community which inspires confidence and boosts our local economy.

It is my goal over the next four years to build a better Council and look forward to working with the community to achieve our potential.