On the 24th of October 2020, 790 candidates were on the ballot papers for the Victorian local government elections.

Of those, only four were Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander – that’s less than 0.15 per cent of candidates.

Of those four candidates, two were successful. In Melton, Wiradjuri woman Ashleigh Vandenberg was elected, and in the State’s north, Yorta Yorta man Greg James made history when he became the first Aboriginal councillor on the Greater Shepparton City Council.

Greg joins Connection Matters Radio to talk about the challenges, benefits and importance of First Nations people on Victorian Councils.