Stephen Jolly

Stephen Jolly
Mayor of Yarra
Assumed office
19 November 2024
Preceded byEdward Crossland
Councillor of the City of Yarra
for MacKillop Ward
Assumed office
26 October 2024
Preceded byWard re-established
Councillor of the City of Yarra
for Langridge Ward
In office
26 November 2004 – 26 October 2024
Succeeded byEvangeline Aston
Personal details
Born1962 (age 63–64)
London, England
PartyYarra For All (2024–present)
Independent (2017–2018, 2019–present)
Other political
affiliations
Labour (Ireland) (1982–1985)
Socialist (1985–2016)
The Socialists (2016–2017)
Victorian Socialists (2018–2019)
Alma materUniversity of Cape Town
OccupationConstruction worker
CFMMEU delegate
Councillor (Yarra City Council)
ProfessionPolitician
Websitewww.stephen-jolly.com
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Stephen Jolly (born 1962) is an Australian politician and socialist activist. He currently serves as the mayor of Yarra and has been a councillor of the City of Yarra since 2004, initially representing Langridge Ward before being elected to MacKillop Ward in 2024. Originally from London and raised in Ireland, he studied at the University of Cape Town before migrating to Australia in 1985.

Jolly was a member of the Militant faction in the Australian Labor Party (later the Socialist Party). He served as editor of The Militant newspaper and later as National Secretary. He addressed the student occupation at Tiananmen Square and was later involved in pro-democracy in China rallies. Jolly was involved in an occupation of Richmond High School in 1993, an action opposing the school's closure.

Jolly unsuccessfully ran for election to the Victorian Parliament several times while a member of the Socialist Party. He was president and lead candidate for the Victorian Socialists during the 2018 Victorian state election. He led the independent group "Yarra for All", in the City of Yarra at the 2024 Victorian Council elections, with the group picking up 4 out of 9 councillors.