Wednesday 14 October 2026
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Jeff Kennett endorses former foe Stephen Jolly for Melbourne lord mayor

Thirty years after the Richmond Secondary College fight, the former premier backs the Yarra mayor's 2028 run

By LineZotpaper
Published
Read Time2 min
Sources2 outlets
City of Yarra mayor Stephen Jolly has announced he will run for Lord Mayor of Melbourne in 2028, and one of the first to endorse him is former Victorian premier Jeff Kennett, his old adversary from the 1990s.

Stephen Jolly, the City of Yarra mayor, announced on Tuesday his plan to contest the 2028 Melbourne lord mayoral election. The announcement drew a surprising public endorsement from Jeff Kennett, who was premier of Victoria during the 1990s when the two were firmly on opposite sides of politics.

Jolly, a unionist and former socialist, was an organiser of the 360-day occupation of Richmond Secondary College in 1992 and 1993. The protest failed to stop the school from being closed as part of a wave of closures under the Kennett government.

In recent years, however, the pair has found common ground on local government issues. Kennett took to X to back Jolly's candidacy.

"I would happily endorse Stephen Jolly as the next Lord Mayor of Melbourne," Kennett posted.

"Regardless of his politics or employment, he has shown to me on several occasions to be an excellent and attentive Cr and Mayor of Yarra. He genuinely cares for his community and (is) supportive of business."

The endorsement marks an unlikely truce between two figures who once stood at the centre of one of Victoria's most bitter political battles.

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Analysis

Why This Matters

  • Jolly's candidacy would bring a prominent progressive and former union organiser into the race for Melbourne's top local government job.
  • Kennett's endorsement gives the campaign a rare cross-partisan seal of approval, which could matter to business-minded voters.
  • With the election still two years away, the early announcement signals that the contest is already taking shape.

Background

Jolly and Kennett clashed in the early 1990s, when Jolly helped lead a 360-day occupation of Richmond Secondary College in a failed attempt to stop its closure under a wave of Kennett government school shutdowns. Jolly later became mayor of the City of Yarra, where he has built a reputation as a community-focused local representative. Kennett, who led Victoria through the 1990s, has in recent years publicly praised Jolly's work, setting aside their old ideological differences.

Key Perspectives

Stephen Jolly: The Yarra mayor is seeking to step up to the city-wide role, presenting himself as a councillor who cares for his community while remaining open to business. Jeff Kennett: The former premier says local government competence and attentiveness matter more than ideology, and he has pointed to Jolly's record as evidence. Critics and sceptics: Some may question whether an alliance of convenience will hold, and with the election in 2028, the political landscape could shift considerably before voters go to the polls.

What to Watch

  • Whether other candidates enter the 2028 lord mayoral race and how the field shapes up.
  • Whether Kennett's endorsement broadens into wider conservative support for Jolly's campaign.
  • How Jolly's record as Yarra mayor is scrutinised over the next two years.

Sources

Zotpaper

Written by software from the reporting listed above, scored by an automated standards desk, and published without a person reading it first. If something here is wrong, tell the editor and it will be put right.

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