Councillor profiles
This month we feature two councillors from South Australia.
Mayor Lorraine Rosenberg, Onkaparinga City Council, South Australia
Q. How long have you been on Council?
My journey with Local Government has been over 20 years, with a few minor interruptions within this time, such as a stint in State Parliament. What an exciting journey it has been from a very small and largely rural Council in Willunga where I knew my 1,400 ratepayers by first name, to now the largest metropolitan council in South Australia with over 160,000 residents. You can imagine the changes that I have been privileged to be part of in this journey.
Q. Why did you become involved in Local Government?
I have been a strong community advocate since my children started kindergarten and within my sports clubs so was always keen to see equity across the region. I was rather outspoken about lack of services and the fact that our region was small and being ignored. I am a doer, not a talker, and so it was a natural progression to get involved where I could make changes. Our level of decision making is the most relevant and the most exciting area in which to be involved with the grassroots decisions.
Q. Tell us about your Local Government area? What makes your Council area special or different?
We are an amalgam of three former councils and now the largest metropolitan Council in South Australia with ten per cent of the State’s population. However, we are still 75 per cent rural with exciting economic growth within the McLaren Vale wine region, major water harvesting programs and clean energy projects. The region has a hugely diverse geographical amenity from 31 kilometres of beautiful beaches to sprawling Mt Lofty farmlands.
We are proud of the support Council gives this region to be the very best it can be in the arts and cultural development as well as small industry and retail growth. Most importantly we are about to have our rural areas legislated by the State Parliament to prevent residential subdivision. This will help us promote our higher density growth areas around transport corridors while maintaining our beautiful historic townships.
Q. Do you have another job? Tell us about that and how it contributes to your role as a Councillor?
I gave up full time work last November just prior to the election. I had been working full time as well as being Mayor for my previous term and it was a huge challenge to juggle everything – so now I am a full time Mayor and find it an easier role. However I am still involved in a lot of areas that reflect my education and work background. I am a biochemist by trade and spent many years in research, moved into General Manager roles in the commercial fishing industry and natural resource management. From my past life I bring to Local Government an enquiring and analytical mind, business skills and a love of the environment. As a farmer I always look for the balance in decisions between the benefits for the rural and urban areas.
Q. What key challenges are currently facing councils?
Local Government does not sell itself well to its community – we do not make ourselves important in the eyes of those we need to give us Constitutional recognition in the future. We must be more prepared to push other levels of government to treat us as equals but we must become increasingly professional so we deserve this respect. Local Government needs to be more in control of the development plans for their areas, have a more equitable share of the country’s taxes and develop a clear and agreed set of responsibilities for our sector.
Q. What are they key challenges facing you and your Council?
Doing more with less dollars is a constant challenge. Residents want more and better services without paying more rates. Government levies are a huge impost of rates and are not negotiable. We are working hard to improve infrastructure in an area that has a backlog of work and seeing the light at the end of the tunnel is difficult. Building local jobs is important while preventing loss of industries already here. This involves ensuring we have more economic development.
Q. Why do you think women are still under represented in leadership positions and mayoral roles? Do you think being female made your journey more challenging?
I am a firm supporter of the best person for the job regardless of gender. I think there are a lot of reasons that Local Government fails to attract good people, male or female. It is a huge job that takes many hours to do it well. It is hard to balance work, family and this role and so many women in particular feel they don’t have the ability to make sacrifices. Payments to elected members has improved but money is not an incentive for most people. Petty politics is a major turn off and low public perception of us as elected members keeps many away. Personally I have never thought about my gender in any of my roles and I think this is how it should be.
Councillor Merton Hodge, Whyalla City Council, SA
Q. How long have you been on Council?
I was elected to Council on the 11 May 1997 as an East Ward Councillor. This has now changed so that all elected members in Whyalla City Council are Area Councillors.
Q. Why did you become involved in Local Government?
I became involved in Local Government to endeavour to give something back to the community. I am very passionate about a fair go for all of my constituents and will always try and help to make things better, such as in the environment, creating jobs, along with creating a wide manufacturing and industrial base. I also want to see suitable recreation facilities maintained and enhanced for our young and old alike.
Q. Tell us about your Local Government area? What makes your Council area special or different?
Whyalla is an industrial City comprising some 23,000 people. Fifty-three kilometres north of Whyalla and close to the Middleback Ranges is the town of Iron Knob, said to be the birthplace of the Iron and Steel industry of Australia. BHP first started mining in the town of Iron Knob about 1895. Whyalla at the time was no more than a twinkle in their eyes because the ore was transported by camel, oxen and mule trains to Port Pirie on the Eastern side of Spencer Gulf to be used as a flux for the Silver/Lead smelter.
It was decided by the BHP Board to build a town and port at what was “Hummicky Hill” to export ore to Newcastle for making steel.
In 1964 the Steel Mill was built in Whyalla and so the rolling mills were born.
Whyalla is fairly isolated from other towns and cities being 86 kilometres from Port Augusta on the tip of Spencer Gulf, 105 kilometres from Cowell to the South, 53 kilometres from Iron Knob and some 350 kilometres from Adelaide.
Whyalla is “special” and “unique” by virtue of the fact that we have no hinterland. We are circled by sheep farming properties, defence force training areas and, of course, the sea. These surrounding areas do not come under the jurisdiction of Council.
We are the “home” to the largest Giant Cuttlefish aggregation in the world and we are blessed with some of the best fishing one could possibly imagine.
Q. What are they key challenges facing your Council?
Some of the key challenges we are faced with are enhanced and diversified industry to complement the steel industry, keeping a sensible balance to remain a sustainable Council and providing suitable recreation facilities for the young and old.
These three areas are vital to the continued strength of the City and, with careful management, we need to combine these strategies with environmental care so that a sensible balance is realised.
