A regular feature, this month we feature a Councillor from New South Wales.
Councillor Terry Hogan, Mayor Jerilderie Council, New South Wales
Q. How long have you been on Council?
I joined Jerilderie Council in May 1971 as a young man with a passion and commitment to serve my community. I must say after 34 years of continuous service that fire is still alive and well…
Q. Why did you want to become involved in Local Government?
I have always had a desire to serve the community, and I came from a family that had a very strong focus in public service. It is something I derive enormous satisfaction from, even though you receive little praise in serving the public. But when you do, it is a great feeling of accomplishment and it gives you the motivation to carry on when the going gets tough, as it does from time to time. I guess it is a feeling of achievement and great satisfaction in seeing things improve for the people you serve.
Q. Can you tell us about your Local Government area?
We are a one town, rural area, with a wide range of agricultural out within our Shire. Irrigated agriculture plays a very significant role in the wealth that is generated in our region. The summer crops are rice, maize, corn and soybeans, while our winter crops are wheat, barley, oats, canola and faber beans. The grazing properties in our Shire produce some of the best stud merino sheep and wool in the world. The town itself is nestled on the Billabong Creek, with a man made lake right in the heart of the CDB. Tourism plays a very important role with the visit of the Kelly Gang in 1879, the Shire, along with our community, has embarked on a very ambitious plan to preserve the history and buildings associated with Ned Kelly’s raid on Jerilderie all those years ago.
Q. What are some of the challenges you have faced in Local Government?
When I joined Council, the greatest challenge we faced was getting basic services, like roads, electricity and telephones, to many of our ratepayers. The Coleambally Irrigation Scheme was developed in the early 1960s and this meant we had to supply basic services to the new settlers.
The challenges today are very different from 40 years ago. There is so much regulation now it makes it more costly to get things done. Some of the regulation is necessary to protect our way of life and environment, but some is out of control. We have courts and judges handing out enormous amounts of money to people who have been totally reckless, and there is no recognition that we all have a responsibility and a duty of care to look after ourselves.
Cost shifting by State and Federal Governments is also an enormous problem for Local Government. Without access to greater funding we face a huge challenge to maintain our assets let alone build new ones. Over the last ten years, Local Government has seen a decline in qualified people to fulfil the technical positions that keep our industry strong and vibrant.
Q. What are the specific issues currently facing your Council?
The lack of recognition by State and Federal Governments, that if you drive efficiency to its “Nth” degree, communities like ours start to lose their “critical mass”. We lose people with specialist skills, their families then move on to seek employment, our school numbers suffer and we lose teachers. Our health services then start to erode, and the whole system becomes a self fulfilling prophecy of population decline in the bush. Surely the people in the bush have the same right as our city cousins to a reasonable standard of quality of life.
Q. What are the key aspects of being a good Councillor?
There are many attributes in being a good Councillor. I believe you have to earn your ‘stripes’ so as to be able to receive the respect and trust of your community. One of the main ingredients is credibility and that is something you can not buy. You must also be able to communicate and be honest and fair in all your dealings.
I have always enjoyed working with people, irrespective of their station in life, be it Cabinet Ministers or the cleaning lady. A pleasant smile, a courteous good morning and a sincere thank you helps build a strong relationship and inspires people, not only to do their best, but also to help create a pleasant working environment.
To be successful you must set goals then inspire the people around you to achieve those goals. I know it’s an old cliché but a happy team is always a very productive team. I have also enjoyed the challenges that come with the position, and at the same time taken great pride in seeing people develop and grow in their professional vocation.
Councillor Nicole Campbell, City of Ryde, New South Wales
Q. How long have you been on Council?
I first ran for Ryde Council in 1999 and was elected in March 2004.
Q. Why did you want to become involved in Local Government?
I’ve always had a strong interest in Local Government and I have always been active in my local community. I work as the Manager Environmental Policy at Sydney Olympic Park and I wanted to contribute my professional skills in environmental management and strategic planning to my local area. I am passionate about environmental issues and sustainable urban design and I have a strong interest in place making and place management.
I have also been the Labor candidate for the Federal seat of Bennelong in 2001 and 2004, so I have a strong understanding of my local area and the issues that are of concern to local residents, business operators and community organisations.
Q. Can you tell us about your Local Government area?
The City of Ryde is a fantastic place to live! Ryde was named after the English town of Ryde on the Isle of Wight and was the third area settled in the colony after Sydney and Parramatta. Located 15 kilometres from Sydney’s CBD, the City is about 40 square kilometres and occupies most of the area between the Parramatta and Lane Cove rivers. Ryde is predominantly residential with a wide variety of retail and manufacturing establishments. North Ryde is a national centre for technology industries and also includes Macquarie University. There are lots of parks and reserves including the magnificent Lane Cove National Park.
The population is just under 100,000, of which over 35 per cent are people born overseas – so Ryde has wonderful cultural diversity. We have significant Chinese, Korean, British, Armenian and Italian populations. Many people from all over the world have made Ryde their home.
Q. What are some of the challenges you have faced in Local Government?
I chair Ryde Council’s Heritage Advisory Committee and I am very involved in trying to secure Federal funding for the restoration of Brush Farm House. This nationally historic house is the former home of Gregory Blaxland (explorer, agriculturalist, winemaker) and is one of the most substantial houses of the Macquarie period. It has had many uses over the years including pastoral experimentation, a stately home, a reformatory and a school.
Sadly, Brush Farm House is in a very poor state of repair and its restoration is estimated to cost approximately $5 million. Our local community strongly support its restoration and both Ryde Council and the State Government have provided significant funding. Unfortunately, despite several attempts, including representations to the incumbent Federal member for Bennelong (John Howard), we have had no luck with any Federal funding… We will keep trying though!
I have also taken a strong stand in relation to inappropriate mobile phone installations – in fact, with the help of concerned residents in North Ryde, we were recently successful in stopping a mobile phone installation adjacent to a local park. That was a fantastic result!
Q. What are the specific issues currently facing your Council?
Ryde is undergoing significant urban renewal and ensuring the appropriate mix of development and adequate provision of community infrastructure and services (particularly childcare) is a significant challenge. As an environmental manager, I am passionate about ensuring future development in Ryde is appropriate to the area and delivers strong environmental, social and economic benefits for our local community.
Q. What are the key aspects of being a good Councillor?
I think making yourself available to listen and responding to people’s concerns is very important. The ability to think strategically and consider a range of perspectives enables you to work effectively towards an outcome that delivers long term benefits for the community. Constituents deserve local representatives that will represent their views and work hard. That is what I have been elected to do and I take my responsibilities very seriously. I am not a fan of populist driven ‘quick fix solutions’. This approach may result in a headline’, but in reality delivers very little that is meaningful.
Getting out and meeting local residents and business owners at community functions, at shopping centres, the train stations or simply talking to people in the park is how I get feedback on the issues that affect people in Ryde. Honesty, integrity, fairness and compassion are essential qualities for all elected representatives whether at a Local, State or Federal level.
