Authorised by Kyle Barrett, 76 York St, Launceston TAS 7250
City of Launceston · Election 2026
VOTE 1

Kyle
Barrett

Leadership
Pro-Development
Common-Sense

For Mayor + Councillor
Kyle Barrett, candidate for Mayor and Councillor, City of Launceston
Book a meeting Call now · 0492 492 873 See the priorities
Don't miss the second paper

Kyle is on two
ballot papers

Your ballot pack contains three separate papers — Mayor, Deputy Mayor and Councillor. Kyle Barrett is standing for Mayor and Councillor, so vote 1 for him on both of those.

See the full how-to-vote card
Ballot paper 1 — Mayor
Number in order of choice
1BARRETT, Kyle
other candidates
other candidates
Number at least 1 box for your vote to count.
Ballot paper 2 — Councillor
Number in order of choice
1BARRETT, Kyle
2your choice
3your choice
4your choice
5your choice
Number at least 5 boxes, or the whole ballot is informal.
About Kyle

Son of the Northern
and Eastern suburbs

Candidate for Mayor & Councillor, City of Launceston 2026. Backing a stronger, thriving Launceston.

Kyle Barrett works in Launceston property, as a property representative with Town & Country Real Estate. It is a job that takes him down most streets in the municipality and into a lot of kitchens where the conversation turns to rates, roads, and what the Council is actually doing with the money. He has said that if elected he will step back from actively operating his business interests to focus full-time on serving Launceston.

He describes himself as drama-free, pro-development, economically conservative and politically independent. He is not aligned to a party. His argument is a straightforward one: Launceston is a city with real potential that has been poorly served by projects running late and over budget, and by a Council that has spent too much of the last term on itself.

He is a son of the northern and eastern suburbs and still speaks for them. Waverley, Ravenswood and the northern suburbs have, in his view, sat at the back of the queue for services and infrastructure for too long — and that is the part of Launceston he intends to bring forward.

“Responsible financial management has won. Now we need four years of it — not just four weeks.”
Kyle Barrett campaign sign on a Launceston street
On the ground in Launceston
Priorities

What Kyle is standing for

Headlines below are taken from Kyle's own public campaign posts.

1

Better Project Delivery

A plan to deliver major projects on time and on budget. Every major project properly scoped, costed and contracted before work starts, with spend and progress reported to ratepayers at each stage. The Orchestra Pit, Albert Hall and the Princess Theatre are the argument for it: when a project is allowed to drift, it is ratepayers who pay for the drift.

2

Ratepayer Efficiency Mandate

A standing test applied to Council's own spending: would a ratepayer call this essential? Discretionary costs are examined before rates go up, with the aim of holding rates at or below inflation rather than treating an increase as the default every year.

3

Protect Our Gorge

A development moratorium for the Cataract Gorge. Kyle is pro-development across Launceston, and the Gorge is the deliberate exception. It is the city's single greatest natural asset, and it should be protected as a whole rather than parcelled out one proposal at a time.

The First Basin at Cataract Gorge, Launceston
4

Ethics, Integrity & a Ratepayer Watchdog

Ethics and integrity reform has already partly passed, and community pressure has pushed Council to reconsider perks such as free councillor lunches. Kyle wants that scrutiny made permanent: a watchdog role across the next four years that watches the spending, questions the waste, and makes sure every ratepayer dollar is accounted for.

5

A 365-Day Commitment

100% attendance at Council meetings and committees, with attendance and travel published quarterly. If elected Mayor, Kyle will step back from actively operating his business interests and commit to the role full time. Full attendance other than genuine personal or family illness, or a clash with official Council duties. No personal leave. Council-related travel not charged to ratepayers as an additional cost, and his attendance and travel record published every quarter.

6

The Northern and Eastern Suburbs

Waverley, Ravenswood and the northern suburbs have been overlooked for services and infrastructure while attention and money went elsewhere. Kyle grew up in these suburbs and would argue for them at the Council table — footpaths, parks, roads and basic maintenance treated with the same urgency as the marquee projects in the centre of town.

City Park, Launceston
A city worth getting right
City Park, Launceston
How the election works
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until the close of poll for Mayor of Launceston

Tasmanian local government elections are conducted entirely by postal ballot, and voting is compulsory for everyone on the State roll. Your ballot pack arrives in the mail — there is no polling booth to attend.

Mon 7 Sep
Nominations open, 9:00am
TEC
Thu 10 Sep
Enrolment closes, 6:00pm — check you are on the roll
Act now
Mon 21 Sep
Nominations close, 12:00 noon
TEC
Tue 22 Sep
Nominations announced
TEC
From Mon 5 Oct
Ballot packs delivered by post
Your vote
Mon 6 Oct
Launceston Mayoral Debate, 5:00pm, Du Cane — hosted by the Launceston Chamber of Commerce
Event
Tue 27 Oct
Close of poll, 2:00pm — your ballot must be in by then
Deadline
Help Kyle win

Three minutes of your time

Local elections turn on a few hundred votes. Sharing this page with people who live in the municipality is the single most useful thing a supporter can do.

From the campaign

What Kyle has been saying

Pulled from Kyle's own posts on Facebook.

Facebook
Orchestra Pit blowout terminated

The Orchestra Pit — facing a $2 million cost blowout — has been terminated. “Responsible financial management has won. Now we need four years of it, not just four weeks.”

Read the post →
Facebook
A watchdog on ratepayer spending

On Council moving to scrap free councillor lunches after ethics and integrity reform partially passed: Launceston needs a watchdog for the next four years, questioning the waste and making sure every ratepayer dollar counts.

Read the post →
Facebook
The 365-day commitment

On what happens to his business interests if elected: he will step away from actively operating them, commit to 100% attendance at Council meetings and committees, take no personal leave, and publish his attendance and travel record quarterly.

Read the post →
Facebook
Lessons learned, not the standard

$9 million over at Albert Hall. $12–15 million (TBC) at the Princess Theatre. “These should be lessons learned, not the standard we have come to accept.”

Read the post →
Facebook
A formal caretaker period

Proposing a formal caretaker period before local government elections, so major decisions are not made during a campaign and Council resources cannot advantage a sitting candidate.

Read the post →
Facebook
Mayoral debate accepted

Accepted the invitation to the Launceston Mayoral Debate hosted by the Launceston Chamber of Commerce — 6 October, 5pm, Du Cane.

See his Facebook →
Talk to Kyle

Book a meeting

Kyle meets residents, business owners and community groups right across the municipality. Give him a call and he will find a time that suits you.

Call now0492 492 873
Follow the campaign

Where Kyle posts

Questions people are asking

The Launceston election, explained

Straight answers about how the October 2026 City of Launceston election works. Sourced from the Tasmanian Electoral Commission — check it yourself at the links below.

When is the 2026 City of Launceston council election?

It is a postal election held through October 2026. Ballot packs are delivered by post from Monday 5 October, and the poll closes at 2:00pm on Tuesday 27 October 2026. Counting begins the following morning, Wednesday 28 October.

How do I vote in the Launceston council election?

Entirely by post — there is no polling booth to attend. Number the boxes on each ballot paper in order of your choice, put the papers in the declaration envelope with your name on it, sign the envelope, and post it back in time to be received by 2:00pm Tuesday 27 October.

How many boxes do I have to number for my vote to count?

On the councillor ballot paper you must number at least 5 boxes, or the entire paper is informal and none of it counts. On the mayor and deputy mayor papers you need number only 1 box. This is the single most common way a Tasmanian council vote is wasted.

How many ballot papers are in the pack?

Three: Mayor, Deputy Mayor and Councillor. The City of Launceston is electing a Mayor, a Deputy Mayor and nine councillors for a four-year term. Kyle Barrett is standing for Mayor and for Councillor, so he appears on two of the three papers.

Is voting compulsory in Tasmanian council elections?

Yes. Voting is compulsory for every elector on the Tasmanian State roll. Enrolment for this election closed at 6:00pm on Thursday 10 September 2026.

Why does my envelope have to be signed?

The declaration envelope is how the Commission confirms you are the elector it was sent to. An unsigned envelope is not counted — the ballot papers inside are set aside, no matter how carefully they were filled in.

Who is running for Mayor of Launceston in 2026?

Nominations close at noon on Monday 21 September and the full field will be announced on Tuesday 22 September. Kyle Barrett is standing for Mayor and Councillor.

Who is Kyle Barrett?

Kyle Barrett is a Launceston property representative standing for Mayor and Councillor of the City of Launceston at the October 2026 election. He is politically independent and campaigns on leadership, pro-development planning and common-sense financial management — specifically delivering major projects on time and on budget, holding rates at or below inflation, a development moratorium for the Cataract Gorge, and better services for the northern and eastern suburbs.

What does the Mayor of Launceston actually do?

The Mayor chairs Council meetings, is the public face of the City of Launceston, and leads — but does not control — a council of nine elected councillors. Major decisions on budgets, rates and projects are made by a vote of the full Council, which is why the councillor ballot paper matters as much as the mayoral one.