Former TV Journalist Charles Wooley Wins Hobart Lord Mayor Election

Charles Wooley, best known for his work as a reporter on the Australian current‑affairs program 60 Minutes, was declared the winner of Hobart’s mayoral election on Saturday. Wooley, who previously served as a journalist for the ABC and Nine Network, ran on the slogan “Hobart for Hobartians” and secured 14,384 votes, outpacing Greens candidate Bill Harvey, who received 11,748 votes after preferences were distributed.

The election result marks Wooley as the first male Lord Mayor of Hobart since the early 1950s, when the city’s first female mayor, lawyer Mabel Miller, was elected in 1952. Outgoing mayor Anna Reynolds, who held the position from 2018, did not seek re‑election, opening the field for new candidates.

Wooley’s campaign featured frequent references to his pet dog, Dusty, appearing in social‑media posts and campaign material. After the vote count, Wooley thanked supporters in a message posted online, stating, “We’re all residents for this great city – a city I know we all love – and I want to sell the city to the world, as well as to you.”

The mayoral race was closely watched as Hobart prepares for upcoming infrastructure projects and tourism initiatives. While the final vote count was pending at the time of reporting, approximately half of the ballots had been tallied when Wooley’s lead became clear. Election officials are expected to certify the result in the coming days.