Councillor Donna Shaw, City of Armadale, WA
Q. Having just been elected to Council at the end of 2009, how are you adjusting to being a Councillor?
It’s been quite a smooth transition so far, mainly because I am quite an organised person and I have had great support from the staff and Council at the City of Armadale. Everyone has been willing to offer help and advice when I need it. I think it also helps that I have some very experienced mentors and role models around me, such as Armadale Mayor Linton Reynolds, who was first elected in 1989. In addition, Director of Planning Robert Jeans and Senior Administration Officer Sharon Peacock at the City of Rockingham, where I work as a Planning Assistant, are a wealth of knowledge.
Between my university studies, working, Councillor duties and doing the normal things a 20 year old does in my free time, it does get a bit busy, but I enjoy having things to focus on and the challenge these various roles present.
Q. Why did you become involved in Local Government?
For one reason or another, Armadale has had a poor reputation over the years. Growing up in the area, I always thought this was an unfair tag and was for the most part unjustified. It always seemed like Armadale was overlooked for funding. There was a lack of developer interest in the area and local facilities and services were coming off second best to other Perth suburbs.
Despite this, most residents are proud of Armadale, and I myself wouldn’t choose to live anywhere else because of the unique lifestyle opportunities, such as the close proximity to national parks, and the real sense of community that Armadale offers.
I wanted to get involved with Local Government to improve the liveability of Armadale and provide first rate facilities and services to the community. I want the next generation of kids growing up in the area to have the same opportunities as other kids in Perth, and I want Armadale to lose the negative connotations associated with it.
A new direction and the hard work of Council has vastly improved Armadale’s status over the last five years, and new developments and improvements to the City are happening constantly. I want to keep adding to the great work that is already being undertaken and I think my own pride/vision for the area and my background in town planning can assist in continuing the redevelopment and improvement of the City.
I think its important to give something back to your community as well. If everyone contributes to the community it just becomes a better place in general, whether its volunteering at local sporting clubs or making sure to shop in your community. This is my way of giving something back.
Q. Tell us about how you want to improve the area.
Improving the visual aesthetics of Armadale is definitely one of my key aims, and is so important in redefining an existing suburb, such as Armadale, for the better. Studying urban and regional planning and working in Local Government has helped in this regard, because I understand the processes of Local Government.
Studying urban planning also exposes me to a whole range of innovative solutions to planning problems, so I think that allows me to ‘bring something to the table’, and have an educated opinion on planning matters, especially when it comes to development related projects that may be tabled at Council.
Planning is the kind of field where decisions made don’t just impact the visual form of an area, but also impact the way people live in their communities and quality of life. I think I can relate this back to the decision making process to get a better outcome for Armadale.
I also want to provide a mix of housing choices in the area. Being located on the urban fringe of Perth, the area is mainly low density housing with not a large variety in price. I would like to see housing available for different scales of budgets and for different stages of lives, whether that is for single first home buyers or families.
Q. What do you hope to accomplish in the future?
Making decisions that promote the City and get the policies and funding in place that will secure Armadale’s future are important to me in the early stage of my term as a Councillor so later on I can see the good outcome of the hard work I know the staff and Council complete to make Armadale a better place.
In the future, I’d like to be in a position where I can better influence funding and major planning decisions for the Perth Metropolitan Region as a whole. I think Perth has a lot of underutilised potential and change for the better is often very slow to occur. With predicted future economic booms I’d like to have a say on where that money goes to make Perth the most liveable City in the world.
President Graeme Campbell, Shire of Broome, WA
Q. How long have you been on Council?
I was elected as a Councillor in 2003. My fellow Councillors elected me as Shire President in 2005 and I have held this position since.
Q. What makes Broome special or different?
The Shire covers 56,000 square kilometres and has a population of approximately 17,000 people spread throughout the township of Broome, as well as some 83 Indigenous communities. We are fortunate to be on the world stage as the southern gateway to the Kimberley – a unique area that attracts thousands of tourists each day to Western Australia’s North.
Over the years, we seem to have invented our very own language. New residents and visitors unwittingly slip into ‘Broometime’, meaning they relax, kickback and enjoy the relaxed and unhurried lifestyle Broome has to offer. Dress is ‘Kimberley casual’ and rumours become ‘broomers’. Broometime has even been used in tourism campaigns.
With its romantic history of pearl diving, its multicultural influence and stunning landscapes of white beaches, turquoise water and red cliffs, Broome gets into your blood. It is a familiar and all too common story that people ‘just passing through’ end up staying and making Broome their permanent home.
I think what really makes Broome special is its community – always ready to lend a hand to each other and to visitors. Our locals are passionate about where they live, respectful of our history and keen to be involved in Broome’s future.
Q. Tell us how Council manages the impact of tourism on the community?
Broome tourist operators continue to win the highest accolades in national and State tourism and travel industry awards and offer unique Kimberley experiences to visitors. From Aboriginal owned wilderness camps, such as Kooljaman at Cape Leveque, to the Cable Beach Resort, where you can enjoy a cocktail while experiencing the sun setting over the Indian Ocean, our town averages around 450,000 visitors each year. Cruise ship visits continue to increase, and given our year round warm climate, we are also a popular destination for the ‘grey nomads’.
One of the innovative strategies we have employed is a tourism differential rate. Any property zoned tourism or a predominant tourism operation will commercially benefit from tourism promotion. We levy their rates and the Shire is then able to provide up to $300,000 to Australia’s North West and the Broome Visitor Centre to promote Broome and service delivery.
It is a bit of a balancing act keeping both residents and visitors happy, but so far so good.
Q. Council recently received a plethora of media attention following its decision to continue a sister city relationship with Taiji, Japan, which is known for dolphin culling. What is the importance of the relationship and why do you think it should continue?
Council certainly does not condone dolphin harvesting. We have learnt from the experience that despite intense pressure from international media, we must listen and consult with our local community. We have an active Japanese community and the importance of the sister town relationship to the Broome community, both culturally and historically, cannot be underestimated.
We have more than a century of history with Taiji. Divers from Taiji made Broome their home when it was nothing more than a few buildings and dust and contributed greatly to the pearling industry and the growth of our town.
Any visitor to Broome can see that it is shaped by its multicultural community, including the Japanese. Broome’s Japanese cemetery, where many pearl divers lie, is a significant cultural and heritage site. Broome would not be the special place it is today without the early influence of the Japanese.
Q. What do you most enjoy about being President?
Broome is made up of all sorts of characters and I enjoy listening to our community voice strong opinions because they are as passionate about this town as I am. My fellow Councillors are a great bunch and we continue to move forward as a team. Sure we might bump heads now and again, but after a Council meeting we are all happy to have a beer together.
There is also the satisfaction of seeing the community use facilities and participate in projects after months or sometimes years of work getting them off the ground.
