Council and innovation
Gladstone Regional Council covers an extensive area of 10,448 square kilometres. The Council came into being on March 15, 2008 through the amalgamating of the three former Councils of Gladstone City Council, Calliope and Miriam Vale Shire Councils. Our Council covers a resident population of more than 60,000.
Our region is multi-faceted in that it is a growing residential area that also features significant major industrial and rural areas, plus tourism hot spots such as Heron Island. Our landscape is diverse and includes hinterland, coastline, beaches, islands, national parks and state forests.
There are many innovative projects in which council has succeeded in finalising or implementing over recent times. We have taken the step into the world of social media and have launched our corporate Facebook page and Twitter account. I have been an active Facebook and Twitter user for some time and I am very excited by council’s transition into social media.
Benaraby Landfill and Waste Management Centre is another major source of innovation. In August 2012, Council installed a series of wells for landfill gas collection with destruction of the greenhouse gas by flaring, the first of its kind in the region. It also features a composite lined landfill, and a generator designed to produce green energy is scheduled for installation in 2014.
Funding a growing region
Attracting Federal and State funding to our region is very important to me. Successive Queensland Governments’ failure to help contribute to managing growth pressures on the Gladstone Region has forced Council to review its long-term community projects over the next decade. Our long-term financial plan provides for ongoing growth of community facilities, but we have had to scale back our expectations due to the impost of capped infrastructure charges.
I would love to see the completion of some of Council’s proposed projects, which would have an enormous effect on the region. Addressing the Gladstone Region’s social infrastructure needs is an important issue, particularly through the construction of the Community Services Hub as part of the Philip Street precinct. Council’s plan is to co-locate a number of its human and social services function on this one site including the Community Advisory Service, Neighbourhood Centre, a child and family center and a youth enterprise center.
Something really close to my heart is attracting new shopping opportunities in the Gladstone Region. Council has approved the expansion of the Stockland Centre Gladstone which will help to secure new retail outlets and food chains to the area. This will feature a full sized Target, Kmart and Coles combined with 90 specialty stores.
Community
To me there are three key elements to being a good councillor – listening to the needs of the community; making decisions with your head and not your heart; and being well prepared for meetings.
I have been with Council for almost 25 years and without a doubt, the most satisfying part is seeing projects completed which benefit our community members.
Being female has most certainly made my journey more challenging. I have always tried to overcome the challenges of managing family, work and time commitments. But no matter how good a job you do, even today, there are some people in the community who still will not vote for a female.
Making decisions with the community in mind and then seeing those decisions become reality for the betterment of the Gladstone Region are the best parts of being a councillor.
Never having enough money to do the projects you would like to be able to complete is the worst part, however.
During my time as a councillor I hope to ensure our natural and built environment is preserved and enhanced to the benefit of our current generation, without disadvantaging the next.
