Stephen Jolly

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 Australia’s 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 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. Provided by Wikipedia