A regular feature, this month we present two Councillors from Victoria.
Councillor Bill McArthur, Mayor of Golden Plains Shire, Victoria
Q. How long have you been on Council?
I joined the former Grenville Shire Council in 1991 and continued until the amalgamation of Local Government in 1994. I have been a Councillor with Golden Plains Shire since 1996 and Mayor since March 2004.
Q. Why did you want to become involved in Local Government?
As a boy, I remember my family was always actively involved in their community as it was always the most effective way to get things done. Later, when my children were in school, I became a member of the School Council and was involved with many organisations including the Fire Brigade, football club, community house and neighbourhood watch. It then seemed a natural progression to move into Local Government.
Q. Can you tell us about your Local Government area?
Golden Plains is one of the fastest growing municipalities in Victoria and this has been attributed to our ideal location. We are well placed between Geelong and Ballarat, just over an hour from Melbourne. The Shire is predominantly rural with a population of around 16,890. Over the past few years there has been a shift towards more urbanised townships as more families move out for a semi rural lifestyle. We have 35 local communities and most have little or no commercial or service infrastructure. Only 12 towns have a shop. Our largest town is Bannockburn with 2,250 people. Broad acre farming, intensive agriculture, vineyards and home based and small business are important industries, however 85 per cent of the workforce travel out of the Shire for work.
Q. What are some of the challenges you have faced in Local Government?
The biggest challenge was coming back to Council after amalgamation, following a period of upheaval and uncertainty.
The first challenge for the new Council was creating an identity for Golden Plains Shire, re-establishing contact with the community and then encouraging community ownership of the new Council. In general, keeping in touch with the community, knowing what the community wants and representing them effectively are daily challenges. I believe the best way to overcome this is by continuing to think globally across the Shire rather than locally in your own riding – particularly with nine very different and individual ridings within Golden Plains.
Q. What are the specific issues currently being faced by your Council?
The changing nature of the Shire due to the significant growth is a key issue. We have seen a complete turnaround of our revenue base of 70 per cent rural, 30 per cent urban to 30 per cent rural, 70 per cent urban. The Geelong and Deer Park bypasses, which will be built over the next few years, will put Golden Plains within an hour from Melbourne. This will certainly impact on our growth and will create a greater opportunity for residents to commute to Melbourne for work.
The predicted growth and increasing demand for more services from Council has resulted in the introduction of a new rating strategy this year, which was certainly a challenge. It was an exhaustive and difficult process, however, Council is now in a better position to meet community expectations of service delivery. Residents no longer just expect roads and rubbish, there is now an increased demand for human services, community development and recreation infrastructure – including services we never delivered in the past.
A number of areas within the Shire have been identified for intensive agriculture, such as pigs and poultry, however, the provision of infrastructure including water and power hinders the development of these industries. Council continues to lobby the State and Federal Governments for assistance.
Q. What are the key aspects of being a good Councillor?
I believe staying in touch with your community, making yourself available and accessible and being consistent are important aspects of being a good Councillor. Striking a good balance between your statutory obligations set by the State and your responsibility to your community is also vital.
Councillor Jackie Fristacky, Yarra City Council, Victoria
Q. How long have you been on Council?
I first ran and was elected to Yarra in March 2002 and was re-elected to a restructured Council in November 2004.
Q. Why did you want to become involved in Local Government?
I had many years in contact with my local Councillors, raising issues at local, State and Federal levels. I had also worked in public policy areas in both the Federal and State Governments. With no Council representatives between 1993 and 1995, residents tended to approach me to advocate issues to Yarra’s Commissioners and to the new Council formed in 1995. My role in running the school fete and being an active member and President of my kids’ school council, generated extensive links and engagement in my local community. Standing for election in 2002 seemed a natural progression from such involvements.
Q. Can you tell us about your Local Government area?
The City of Yarra in inner Melbourne has a wonderful mix of heritage, Victorian and Edwardian terraces, factory and warehouse conversions, student and public housing, small and medium business and community groups. The divergent housing forms and social mix provide variety and interest. Some 11 per cent of Yarra’s residents live in government housing and there is also a large student population. This provides an important balance of economic and social backgrounds, which could be lost given increases in inner urban property values and affluence.
The professionals and students who have gravitated to inner city living alongside different waves of immigrants from Britain, Europe, Asia and Africa seeking a better life have generated a cosmopolitan society cemented by community involvements in workplaces, street life, cultural activities, sport and cuisine. Yarra is vibrant and progressive; 20 per cent of households do not bother with owning a car – they walk, cycle and use public transport instead. Yarra is fortunate to have substantial areas of public open space including the Edinburgh Gardens, Linear and Burnley Parks and along the Yarra River.
Q. What are some of the challenges you have faced in Local Government?
I chair Council’s Finance and Resources Committee and am also a member of its Audit Committee and Service Performance Panel reviewing Council services under best value. The key challenge is to curtail the expansion of operating costs in order to secure the resources needed to provide facilities to our expanding community. The pressure is to support policy development, but it is important to assess whether the resources devoted to examination and policy review detracts from providing services to the community. In 2004, Yarra achieved a national award on cycling initiatives without having a cycling policy. The resources went into getting results!
Other challenges are the huge time demand on Councillors – meetings after work four to five evenings a week often until late, absorbing mountains of paperwork each week and progressing myriads of representations while remaining fresh to tackle key issues. All this for a part time, essentially volunteer role, is certainly a challenge. It certainly helps to have a supportive partner to help with children, chores and discussing policy issues.
Q. What are the specific issues currently facing your Council?
Yarra has no major indoor sports complex for basketball, netball or other indoor sports to provide an active community meeting space for healthy physical activity, particularly for our large, energetic student population. Yarra, like many other Councils, has huge infrastructure needs for indoor sporting facilities, development of open space, aged care, childcare and libraries. This is apart from the need to maintain our roads, footpaths, drains and streetscapes, especially in key shopping strips. Our rate base, while healthy, is insufficient to fund new infrastructure needs. And despite Yarra having the highest proportion of residents of any municipality in Victoria, in receipt of welfare (which requires high levels of Council and social supports), Yarra receives next to no funding from the Commonwealth Grants Commission. It is imperative that Yarra works with other spheres of government and neighbouring Councils to achieve the infrastructure outcomes needed to serve the community.
Another key issue for Yarra is dealing with the daily influx of commuters causing congestion on our roads at the expense of economic activity, local mobility and air quality.
Q. What are the key aspects of being a good Councillor?
The most fundamental perspective is to appraise community needs for the future and plan ahead to deliver on these. I like to think like Robert Hoddle, Victoria’s first Surveyor General, who had the foresight and courage to argue the point with his Governor on the need to provide Melbourne with a grid system of wide streets and boulevards linking the City. Councillors need a similar vision, courage to argue for this vision and wisdom on how best to achieve objectives.
On another spectrum, having been elected as a community representative, an effective Councillor must maintain local links, voice community issues and concerns, listen to those who need assistance and advocate on their behalf. Former Mayor of the City of Fitzroy, Bill Peterson, was reputed to miss Council meetings in order to assist residents who had a crisis. This reflects the practical perspective of a good Councillor who wants to get the job done and maintains the community support to do so.
