Charles Wooley, a veteran journalist and former reporter for the television program 60 Minutes, has been elected as the new Lord Mayor of Hobart. He will succeed Anna Reynolds, who served as mayor from 2018 and chose not to stand in this year’s election.

Wooley campaigned under the slogan “Hobart for Hobartians” and secured victory against Greens candidate Bill Harvey, winning 14,384 votes to Harvey’s 11,748 after preferences were distributed. At the time of the announcement, approximately half of the total votes had been counted.

The newly formed Hobart council marks a historic moment as it is the city’s first all-male council in more than 70 years. The last time the council did not include any women was in 1952, the year when Mabel Miller became the city’s first female mayor.

Born in Britain, Wooley began his journalism career with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation before joining the Nine Network. He gained national recognition with 60 Minutes, where he started reporting in 1991 and remained involved until reducing his role in 2020.

Following his election win, Wooley expressed gratitude to his supporters in a social media post, accompanied by a photo of his dog Dusty, who frequently appears in his online updates. “The work starts now,” he wrote, signaling the beginning of his tenure as the city’s new Lord Mayor.