Councillor Sue Hickey, Mayor
Gateway city
Hobart is a small city bounded by a river and a mountain. As the capital city for Tasmania, Hobart is the usual gateway for visitors to the island and our city is also one of the five official gateways to the Antarctic.
Our population is only 50,000 but this swells each day with students, visitors and workers coming into the City to just over 90,000 people.
The Council is very proud of its parks, its facilities, its staff, its work on public infrastructure and the care it takes of its environment and its people – the elderly, the young, people of different ethnic backgrounds or physical abilities. Hobart is rapidly becoming a must see destination since a recent visit by the President of China Xi Xi Ping.
With such a scenic mountain dominating the skyline from most vantage points in the city and the beautiful water views surrounding the city, choosing a favourite area is a difficult decision to make. However, I will settle on our Salamanca Area which is a unique setting of historic warehouse converted to businesses and surrounded by parklands and water.
Business smarts
I have been on Council for just over four years, three as an Alderman and now 14 months as Lord Mayor.
I own a small business that is in the field of marketing. I started this company some 25 years ago and believe this commercial background is invaluable in my role as Lord Mayor. I also have a Masters of Business and Administration and am a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD) and the Australian Marketing Institute (AMI).
Whilst I accept that councils are not traditional businesses, I believe the principals of good governance and business disciplines are critical in this role. I am now in the unique situation to be able to see situations from the bureaucracy side and to hopefully bring commercial realities to bear which benefit ratepayers and other stakeholders.
The key challenges that face Council are politics, politics, politics. I once thought it would be financial restraints that ruined visions; however, it is clearly mischievous politics that is the root of dysfunction for an organization such as a council. Democracy does not always deliver the ideal set of abilities, skill sets and personalities to function like a highly performing board is able to.
My first year as Lord Mayor saw a great focus on governance and this will continue. Council will also pursue policies that drive value for the ratepayers and citizens of the city.
Developing key infrastructure
The Hobart City Council is focused on many infrastructure projects at the moment and this is creating an air of exhilaration for the first time in many years amongst Aldermen and officers. The council prides itself on climate change adaptation work, rolling out our Inner City Action Plan (to connect the various areas of the city and giving many areas complete facelifts). In addition, we are currently renovating or building new loo infrastructure all across the city.
Every rubbish bin is being replaced as well, 500 in total!
I am most proud of two main achievements – addressing governance issues at the Aldermanic level and my pet project, which is the complete overhaul of the public toilets in the City. By the time this project is complete $11million will have been spent, but already the feedback from the public and the officers is one of great appreciation.
Into the future I want to see a greater focus on the traffic issues of the City and more focus on alternative transport. Preparing the City for the current and forecast tourism boom, which means encouraging more hotels and other forms of accommodation and entertainment precincts.
I hope that by the time I have left office I will have made a contribution that leaves the Council and my City in a better place that when I came to office. I work very hard, regularly 80 hours per week, and I bring to the table a unique skill set and very strong personal ethics and values.
The job of Lord Mayor is a challenging position that I enjoy immensely and it is opening many doors and new opportunities for me.
