Lisa Ruffell

Lisa Ruffell is an Australian politician who has served as mayor of the District Council of Robe since 2023 and as mayor of the City of Greater Bendigo from 2012 until 2013. She has served as a councillor for the District Council of Robe since 2022 and was a councilor for the City of Greater Bendigo from 2008 until 2016. Ruffell won 27.9% of the primary vote and 37.0% of the Two-party-preferred vote.

Ruffell was elected to the City of Greater Bendigo council in the 2008 election in the Epsom Ward, achieving 32.34% of the primary vote and 63.38% of the two candidate preferred vote, defeating incumbent councilor Trudi McClure, also a member of the Liberal Party.

In the 2012 election, Bendigo switched to a multi-member ward system. Ruffell was elected to the Whipstick Ward with 30.02% of the primary vote. In that election, incumbent mayor Alec Sandner lost his seat, leading to Rufell to be elected as mayor by the council.

In 2013, while serving as mayor, Ruffell began a long running dispute between fellow councillors Elise Chapman and Helen Leach. The dispute started in March of that year when the two councillors were alleged to have intervened to prevent a disabled woman from dancing at a disability event, which led to the complaint from the service provider, Amicus. Chapman and Leach raised concerns about how Ruffell handled the council's response. Ruffell indicated that she would challenge the panel's ruling.

District Council of Robe Ruffel was elected as a councilor to the District Council of Robe in the 2022 election.