Councillor profiles

Councillor Sean Rawson, Banyule City Council, Victoria

Q. How long have you been on Council?

I have been serving on Banyule City Council for 16 months as I was elected at the last Council elections in March 2003.

Q. Can you tell us about municipality?

Banyule is a very unique part of Melbourne with its immense cultural and environmental diversity. Banyule is the Aboriginal word for hill and we are proud to acknowledge the original custodians of the land we cherish, the Wurendjerri Tribe.

Q. What are some of the challenges you’ve faced in Local Government?

Like all Councillors at first I suppose it was the intense workload and the need to familiarise myself with a whole new role with many demands. My Ward of Olympia covering the suburbs of Heidelberg West, Heidelberg Heights, Bellfield and Ivanhoe has been grossly neglected over the last few years, however, is experiencing many great long term changes.

Q. What are important issues to you?

Issues that are important to me include many local projects and, of course, issues that I have felt passionately about for some time. One of the many things I am able to admire about the people of Olympia Ward is their ability to work and come together in times of trouble and hardship. West Heidelberg for example is considered one of Melbourne’s most disadvantaged communities. However, the level of community ‘connectedness’ and spirit has seen many great challenges being overcome and new important initiatives for the whole community.

Q. What are some of the issues facing your Council area?

There are many issues facing our City, as with many other municipalities, all of them unique in their own ways but which also play an important role in the overall future vision of the whole State. Town planning and development, waste reduction and traffic management are all such examples of issues that affect our way of life and provide direction for the future.

Q. What are the key aspects of being a good Councillor?

The great thing about all walks of life is the ability for an individual to have their own ideas and views, however, when it comes to elected representatives on any level, it’s important to remember who put you there and therefore why you are there. It’s very easy for an elected representative to get caught up in all the pressure placed on them and sometimes allow the power to go to their heads. Understandably they can be forgiven in some cases, after all, it’s their job to get results for the community right? I always try to put myself in the other person’s shoes and try to understand what I would do in their position. I hold the philosophy that people do not elect representatives because they think we know all the answers, but rather to ensure that the needs of the community are met to the best of their ability.

Q. What qualities can young people bring to Local Government?

Young people will not only play an enormous role in the future, but do so right now. Often we are seeing more and more young people not only take an interest in the issues that effect them, but take a leading role in the political and community arena. I believe that young people bring about a certain enthusiasm and excitement to issues they feel passionate about and are more open to change as we still have a thirst for knowledge. (I also believe that many young people are capable of achieving so much because they have learnt what not to do by previous generations!!)

Mayor Bill Baarini, Hobsons Bay City Council, Victoria

Q. How long have you been a councillor?

I was elected as a Councillor of Hobsons Bay City Council in 2002, and served as Deputy Mayor for my first twelve months in Council. In my second year as a Councillor, aged 26, I was elected as the youngest ever Mayor of Hobsons Bay. I was re-elected for a second term as Mayor in March 2004.

Q. Tell us about yourself and your involvement in the community?

I grew up in Hobsons Bay in the suburb of Newport. I was Dux of St Paul’s College Altona North in 1993 and was recently very honoured to be appointed to the Board of the College.

I am a barrister and usually appear in the County Court. But I have put my legal career on hold to serve as full time mayor in 2003 and 2004. As part of my Mayoral platform, my focus is on reaching out to youth and culturally diverse residents, the environment and transport and planning issues.

Since my appointment I have introduced an initiative called Branching Out, a street tree planting program that will assist in the long term greening of Hobsons Bay. I have also worked with Council officers to introduce a Green Team to encourage the community and Council to become more environmentally aware and involved in environmental activities and programs. Another initiative has been the Youth Voice Project, which aims to provide opportunities for young people to participate in decision making that affects them in our municipality and to give them a voice within their community. The creation of a sound studio at Laverton Secondary College and a Youth Resource Centre in Laverton are two initiatives of the Project.

Q. Describe your community?

The City of Hobsons Bay is situated on Port Phillip Bay, ten kilometres west of central Melbourne. It covers an area of approximately 66 square kilometres and includes the suburbs of Altona, Altona North, Altona Meadows, Brooklyn (part), Laverton, Seabrook, Newport, Seaholme, South Kingsville, Spotswood and Williamstown.

Hobsons Bay has over 20 kilometres of bay frontage, quality residential areas and a range of major industrial complexes that contribute significantly to the economy of Victoria. These features contribute to a culture that is strongly linked to the City’s maritime heritage, industry and lifestyle. Our population is approximately 80,400 people. There is considerable ethnic diversity within the population of Hobsons Bay. Around 29 per cent of people speak a language other than English at home and 22 per cent of residents were born in non English speaking countries. A higher proportion of migrants from Italy, Malta, Vietnam, New Zealand, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, the Philippines, Lebanon and Macedonia live in Hobsons Bay than the Melbourne average.

Q. What are the most important issues in your Local Government Area?

Jobs and the protection of jobs in the Western region. Working with industry and the State Government to ensure the long-term future of industry in Hobsons Bay and the jobs they offer our residents and others in the Western region. Working closely with local industry, businesses and residents to create a greater awareness of environmental issues and our individual need to take responsibility for them.

I am also concerned about the need for young people to have access to appropriate counselling services in a timely fashion. We are improving our own resources in this area in response to local need and I will also be approaching the State Government Ministers for Health and Youth to get their commitment to improving counselling services available through their Departments for our young people in need.

Q. What are the key aspects to being a good councillor?

Using initiative and having the ability to learn, as well as lead.

Q. What developments are currently taking place in Hobsons Bay?

We recently launched an innovative and, we believe, Australian first Town Planning software package specifically designed for Australian Local Governments in liaison with software development company E-VIS Pty Ltd. Green Light, as the package is known, is an online permit manager that allows the Town Planning approval process to be tracked 24 hours a day, seven days a week by residents, developers and town planners alike. The program manages the electronic submission of all permit applications through our web site at www.hobsonsbay.com.au Inspiration for the software was borne out of the limited supply of town planners currently available in Victoria. The software maximises use of a town planner’s time by allowing them to focus their expertise on assessing development applications. The software manages and automates much of the administrative process that, by necessity, surrounds planning applications.

We are also very proud of a unique Friendship Project that Hobsons Bay has developed with the Indigenous community of Yarrabah near Cairns, implemented by Council’s Towards Reconciliation Working Group last year. Yarrabah is a community of 3,000 people 37 km south of Cairns – we share a seaside location, close proximity to a major tourist destination and the ability to capitalise on tourism to benefit our local community. The project has involved the establishment of Internet chat rooms between our secondary schools, the creation of a relationship between our nursing homes, business mentoring, the development of tourism strategies that can be shared between the two communities, a cultural exchange and the possibilities for staff exchanges.

We can offer Yarrabah access to our expertise in the creation of jetties and piers that, if they wish, will assist them to create a ferry service to Cairns, maximising employment, education and controlled tourism opportunities for their community. Friendship projects are usually initiated between international cities, so we are really pleased to be creating links within our own country on an interstate level with a totally indigenous community. The mutual benefits are inspiring.

Youth Projects are an ongoing priority in Hobsons Bay. We are hoping to extend the successful Youth Voice Project initiated last year by employing a Youth Participation Worker to develop it further. We also working to foster relationships between primary schools and local parks to create a environmental awareness and responsibility among Hobsons Bay’s youngest residents.